Thursday Afternoon
by muchtvs
Summary: A typical afternoon takes a turn for the worst for the Cohens plus Ryan. Oh the drama. Set early in the series. Completed and with a sequel.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: The OC and its characters belong to someone with much more money than me.  
  
Author's note: This story takes place sometime after the Rescue because Sandy has changed jobs.  
  
In The Gamble, Dawn pointed out how she always had more hope for Ryan than she had for Trey or her husband. Here's my take on it. Thanks for reading and an absolute THANK YOU to my new but soon to be long suffering beta.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter One  
  
------------------------------------------------  
  
Sandy is dog-tired. His new job is kicking his ass and quite frankly he wants to kick his own ass for taking it. The phone in his office rings. Sandy stares it for a moment before picking up the receiver. "Sandy Cohen."  
  
There is silence on the other end and Sandy wonders if the caller has hung up. He asks a hesitant, "Hello, is anyone there? This is Sandy Cohen."  
  
Another few seconds of silence and then a raspy voice answers, "It's Dawn Atwood."  
  
Sandy's nervous system freezes up. He takes a quick breath. Gets control. Proceeds. "Dawn? How are you? Is everything ok? You sound a little.."  
  
"Drunk," she slurs. "I'm drunk."  
  
Sandy wants nothing more than to slam the receiver down. A drunk Dawn Atwood. Oh fucking joy.  
  
"Dawn, I was going to say you sound tired. Is everything ok?"  
  
She scoffs. "Oh yeah, you betcha. Absolutely peachy."  
  
Sandy waits for her to proceed; the connection grows silent.  
  
"Dawn..." Sandy leads. But it goes nowhere.  
  
He waits another minute and Dawn continues, "I'm sending someone over there. He wants to meet you, talk about Ryan. I'm sorry. He's a nice guy. You should be nice to him."  
  
A click, and just like that Dawn severs the connection, leaving Sandy to wonder what in the hell the call was even about.  
  
-----------------------------------------------  
  
Kirsten is at home with the boys. The kids have a four-day weekend and were supposed to go to a comic book signing but Seth is sick with a temperature and Ryan has no interest in going without him. An hour ago she left the two of them in the living room, Ryan playing Playstation and Seth fast asleep on the couch. Walking down the stairs, she hears movement in the kitchen.  
  
She enters it, sees that Ryan has made a sandwich and is digging around the fridge. He closes the refrigerator, a small bottle of apple juice in his hand.  
  
"Is that for Seth?" Kirsten asks. Ryan only likes orange juice.  
  
The teen nods, "He woke up a few minutes ago complaining that no one cares about his plight."  
  
"I care", Kirsten states, frowning.  
  
Ryan shrugs and raises his eyebrows. "He doesn't care if you care, he just wanted to guilt me into making him a sandwich."  
  
Kirsten shakes her head as Ryan exits the kitchen.  
  
---------------------------------------------------  
  
Seth pokes his head out from under a thick blanket and inspects the sandwich that Ryan has returned with. He sniffs at it, and then cautiously lifts the top piece of bread.  
  
Ryan patiently stands next to the couch, plate and juice in hand, waiting for Seth to make up his mind. Finally, the sandwich meets Seth's approval. He takes it off the plate, curls up on one end of the couch, and takes tenuous rabbit nibbles from the top of the sandwich. Ryan turns off the video game he had been playing, clicks on the television and sits on the floor beside the couch. He flips from station to station, glancing up at Seth periodically to see if anything meets the sick boy's liking. ESPN Extreme pops up and Seth hits the top of Ryan's head. Ryan puts the remote down, unscrews the cap off the bottle of juice, hands it up to his foster brother. Seth shakes his head no so Ryan puts the lid back on and sets the juice at the foot of the couch.  
  
Intending to take Seth's temperature now that he has woken up, Kirsten has followed Ryan into the living room. She stops at the entrance, watches the boys interact and smiles to herself. Familiar is the first step. A new family is forming.  
  
---------------------------------------------------  
  
Sandy tries to ignore Dawn's phone call and get on with his day, but it's eating at him. He attempted to hit call back several times, but the line is constantly busy. Sitting in the Friday wrap-up meeting, waiting to present his synopsis of the week to the partners, Sandy struggles to concentrate. By tradition, the Friday wrap-up meeting takes place on Thursday afternoon. Most of the people in this conference room don't bothering coming in on Fridays. The meetings are informal, with jokes and banter often interrupting the presentations. Sandy glances at the clock. The meeting was supposing to end fifteen minutes ago. No chance in hell of that happening now. He fidgets with the pen Seth gave him last year for Father's Day, trying to ignore the feeling of dread that is eroding his stomach lining.  
  
---------------------------------------------------  
  
Ryan helps Kirsten position Seth in the passenger seat of the Range Rover. Despite generous doses of Motrin, Seth's temperature is slowly rising. Kirsten has had enough. If she shows up at Seth's pediatrician before 5:00, they'll take him. Some people might be turned away. Kirsten knows she won't be.  
  
"Mom," Seth says shakily. "My head feels wobbly. I feel like a bobble head."  
  
Ryan finishes putting on Seth's seat belt and throws a concerned glance at Kirsten. He pats Seth's arm and tells him, "You kind of actually look like a bobble head."  
  
Kirsten mouths a silent thank you at Ryan as he steps away from the car.  
  
"I'm dying and he's making fun of me," Seth bemoans.  
  
"You're not dying," Ryan interjects, "And I always make fun of you."  
  
"I'll call you once we know what's going on," Kirsten tells Ryan over the initial roar of the engine. She had hesitated about asking Ryan to stay home. But several calls to Sandy's cell have gone unanswered, and she's vacillating between calling Sandy's main number at the office and having him hunted down or waiting to see what the doctor has to say. Finally, Kirsten decided to stall panicking Sandy. It's probably just a virus. Ryan can update Sandy when he returns the cell calls or comes home from work.  
  
Preparing to close the passenger side door, Ryan pushes a slumped Seth into a sitting position. He locks eyes with Kirsten.  
  
"I'll call you," she promises. He closes the door and steps back from the vehicle.  
  
Standing alone in the driveway, Ryan watches the Rover speed off.  
  
---------------------------------------------------  
  
Jim Thompson is droning on about questionable corporate expenditures as a secretary enters the conference room. Friday wrap-ups allow such interruptions and no one even notices her slip a piece of folded paper in front of Sandy.  
  
He thanks her quietly and waits until she leaves before reading the note. ' A Major Edward Carden is here to see you. He said Dawn sent him.'  
  
Sandy carefully folds the note and stands up. He excuses himself, promising to supply a complete two-week summary next Thursday. If anyone is disturbed by his early departure, they're not showing it. Aforementioned Jim Thompson looks up from his Power Point presentation enviously.  
  
Walking slowly to his office, Sandy prepares himself for whatever bomb Dawn is about to vicariously drop.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
Ryan sits at the breakfast bar staring at the microwave's clock. Kirsten promised to call. He's supposed to wait for Sandy to call.  
  
So Ryan sits in the kitchen, watching tiny digital numbers that seem immobile. The lack of a phone call from either Sandy or Kirsten has stirred up lingering questions of just where he fits in with this family.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
Sandy walks to his office. The candidates for one Major Carden quickly evaporate into thin air, as there is only one person waiting in the lobby. He's clean cut, dressed in tan Dockers and a subtle plaid green short sleeve shirt. For some reason Sandy notices the man's shoes. They are just like his, dress shoes, with a small, insignificant tassel.  
  
Extending his hand, Sandy introduces himself. "Hi, I'm Sandy Cohen. You must be..."  
  
"Ed Carden", the man quickly interposes, rising to meet Sandy's outstretched hand. "Dawn Atwood said she was going to call you, warn you I would be stopping by." He laughs nervously and Sandy swallows the bile threatening to erupt from the impromptu volcano that has formed in his stomach.  
  
Major Edward Carden may share the same shoes as Sandy Cohen, but the eyes are all Ryan's.  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
To Be Continued 


	2. Thursday Afternoon Chapter Two

Disclaimer: The OC and its characters belong to someone with much more money than me.  
  
Author's note: This story takes place sometime after the Rescue because Sandy has changed jobs. I have given Ryan's father, Mr. Atwood, the first name Russell.  
  
Thanks for reading and an absolute THANK YOU to my new but soon to be long suffering beta.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter Two  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Sandy closes the door behind him. His new office is still unfamiliar to him. Despite what the lawyer often tries to convince himself of, his foster son is still unfamiliar to him. Ryan and his family and the emotional baggage they all pretend doesn't exist.  
  
He gestures for his sudden visitor, Ed Carden, to sit down.  
  
"So, you're a friend of Dawn's? " Sandy asks with false gusto. He really doesn't want to know the answer.  
  
"Not really," Carden replies uncertain, stares back at Sandy, and then drops his eyes.  
  
Ill at ease, Ed studies the floor, seems unsure where to start. Sandy pushes, "So how do you know Dawn Atwood?"  
  
"I guess," Carden answers, "Maybe once she was a friend."  
  
Wordlessly, Sandy settles in a chair, gestures for Ed to do the same.  
  
Carden makes an effort to get comfortable, gives up and stands. He distances himself from Sandy, shoves his hands in his pockets and begins pacing in the back of the office.  
  
"Dawn and I were neighbors," Carden begins softly. "Back in Fresno. I was young, eighteen. She was barely nineteen, maybe twenty, I forget."  
  
Sandy crosses and uncrosses his legs. Carden's nervousness is contagious.  
  
The man clears his throat and adds, "The minute I graduated from high school my older sister and I got the hell out of Illinois. We both wanted to live in California." Carden glances over at Sandy and shrugs. "We ended up in Fresno in a one-bedroom pit, living on nothing. Dawn and her husband lived in the apartment next door. Hell, Dawn kept me feed the first two months we were out there. She had a little guy running around, Trey, mischievous shit and Dawn seemed overwhelmed, but my God, she did love him."  
  
Sandy opens a bottle of water left on his desk, takes a sip. He thinks about offering to get Carden one but he doesn't want to interrupt the man.  
  
"So," Carden continues, "My sister got a job as a waitress during the day, and I ended up with the night shift at the nearest 7-11. Nights paid better. Pretty soon we got to know Dawn and Russell," Carden laughs to himself, "And Trey. And basically they were real nice people, friendly, helpful. Russell would come down to the 7-11 and hang out with me sometimes. They were young, like me, and I thought it was amazing that they were already married and raising a kid. But when he drank, Russell was an absolute nightmare. My sister and I would listen to the two them, screaming at each other, Trey crying, and we wanted to do something, but..."  
  
Attempting to help ease the man's level of tenseness Sandy offers, "But you were young, confused. They were your friends."  
  
Carden nods to himself and says quietly, "I suppose that excuse works, but even then my sister and I knew it was wrong. We would see Dawn's bruises; watch Trey bash the hell out of all his toys. We should have done something. But Dawn always seemed fine the next time we would see her. She joked about their drinking, made it seem like no big deal. She was always insisting on how much Russell loved her and Trey. My sister and I didn't want to call the cops. Russell would end up in jail and Dawn would hate us. What was the point? They would have just ended up back together anyway. They had this energy. Good or bad, Dawn and Russell were connected by some heavy duty forces of nature."  
  
Sandy finds these insights on the early Atwood years fascinating but in his heart he knows this is not why Carden came to his office. He takes this opportunity to clear his throat and ask Ed if he wants a bottle of water, anything to drink. The guy declines with a wave of his hand. Sandy takes another sip of his own water and watches Carden pace. Periodically, the man takes his hands out of his pockets, wraps them around his mid-section, and then puts them back in his pockets. He kicks at the floor.  
  
Sandy tries to squelch the warning screams in his head. More than this man's eyes remind Sandy Cohen of his foster son.  
  
Running fingers through his hair, Carden seems to have reached a second wind. He stops pacing and continues with his story.  
  
"So, about three months into my sister's and I move to Fresno, Dawn and I start sleeping together."  
  
Sandy drops the bottle of water he had been fidgeting with. It splashes on the floor. Carden looks at him helplessly.  
  
"Yeah, so, ok." Sandy says to no one in particular. He picks the bottle back up, not bothering to clean up the spilled water. He gestures towards Carden with a whirl of his finger, "Um, you were saying?"  
  
Carden nods, "So Russell was getting into heavier stuff than pot and alcohol. He started dealing crack, taking it, acting more and more erratically. I'm sure there was more, God knows what else. Dawn didn't want the stuff around Trey. She caught one of Russell's friends giving Trey a hit off a joint and practically tore the idiot apart. She started spending more and more time at our apartment to keep Trey away from what was happening. We became close friends. My sister would leave for work. Russell would leave for work. And Trey would watch lots of television."  
  
Having relieved himself of this much information, Carden seems relaxed slightly. He makes an attempt to move closer to Sandy but stops halfway across the room.  
  
"So, that's how it was for months. Everyone would leave for work. Dawn and I would act like we were together as a couple for whole days at a time. We would do everything together, grocery shop, take Trey to the park, just appreciate each other's company. Then at 4:00, Dawn would go back over to her place. Russell would come home. And on more nights than not, I would leave for work listening to him beat on the girl I was falling in love with."  
  
Carden clenches his fists into a tight balls and looks up at the ceiling.  
  
"I never did a thing. I never stopped it. God, what a fucking coward."  
  
Ed doesn't appear to be a violent guy, but there is a new tenseness in the room. Sandy tries to divert Carden's anger, "Did Russell ever suspect anything?"  
  
Carden laughs sarcastically and shakes his head. "No, he still thought we were friends. He would come by the 7-11, drunk or high, confessing how he was such an asshole to Dawn and how he should stop doing drugs around his kid. But he never changed. I think he looked at Dawn as used up and dirty. I don't think it ever occurred on him that someone else would want to be with her. Russell and I were close in age, but shit, he had lived three times the life I had. He thought of me as a kid, not a threat to his marriage."  
  
"Were you a threat?" Sandy asks. "Did Dawn ever talk about leaving Russell?"  
  
Carden shoves his hands back in his pocket, looks sideways, and talks to the wall.  
  
"No, never, ever. She loved the bastard. I tried to talk her into running away with me, back to Illinois. My parents would have taken one look at Trey and built us a damn annex. But Dawn didn't want that. She wanted a diversion, not a change. That's why I finally decided to break it off. I turned nineteen, realized I was living in abject poverty with a married girlfriend who had no intention of leaving her drug-dealing husband. My life was going nowhere. I needed something different. I waited until the day before I planned on moving out to tell Dawn I had enlisted in the Air Force. She cried for hours, begging me to stay, promising me she would start to consider leaving Russell. But it was too late for me. I had already moved on."  
  
Sandy feels like an intruder into Carden's private thoughts. He doubts that the man has ever told anyone about Dawn. He wants to get up and throw an arm around the guy, reassure him. But Carden has paced his way back to the edge of the room. He looks despondent, on the verge of tears.  
  
"So, she was crying, and begging me to stay, and I was telling her no, that I was leaving, but she could still leave Russell. I gave her my parent's phone number. Told her to call them. They could get a hold of me. We would all help her get away from Russell. She told me to go to hell and left. About fifteen minutes later, she came back, said she had pawned Trey off on another neighbor. We made love one last time. We were both so damn sad."  
  
Sandy gulps and asked the inevitable. "Was Dawn on birth control?"  
  
Carden shrugs. "I assumed so. I always used a condom. But that last time, all my stuff was packed. I was emotional, not thinking straight. I loved Dawn, I didn't want to hurt her by rejecting her the last time I saw her." He pauses before adding, "I was nineteen, stupid."  
  
Sandy wants to throw his bottle of water out the window and have a shot of whiskey. He's emotionally drained, Carden looks spent, and they haven't even gotten to the part of why he's really here. Sandy knows, he just needs the man to say it, to confirm Sandy's suspicions, make them a reality.  
  
"My wife Sara died six months ago," Carden says suddenly, waking Sandy up from his momentary daydreaming. "Car accident. She was driving to work and that was it. She never came home. I've been numb ever since. We have two kids, both boys. They want their mother back. They look at me every morning and I can see it in their eyes. They'll settle for me, but they want her. All I can think about is how short life is. Nothing is a guarantee. I tried to function normally, but one month ago I cashed in my vacation days, took a temporary leave of absence. I need to get myself together, for my kids, my career, ultimately for my wife. I'm not sure why I tracked Dawn down. Maybe I was hoping she could comfort me like I used to comfort her. Maybe I just wanted to feel some closure over a loose end that has always gnawed at me. With my wife dead, it felt safe, I wasn't betraying her."  
  
"Dawn's life is a mess," Sandy says quietly.  
  
"Yeah," Carden agrees. "I figured that out when she was drunk at noon today. When she answered the door, I barely recognized her. There's nothing left of the girl I loved. This Dawn isn't my Dawn."  
  
Finally he sits down. Ed wants to be close to Sandy for this last little bit. "She knew who I was right away, started crying, asking me why in the hell after all these years I had come back. We sat down. It was awkward. She was all over the place, barely coherent. After one hour I realized this was not what I came for. Hell, this is only making me more depressed. And I'm so sorry for Dawn, because looking back now, I probably knew all along she would end up like this."  
  
Carden squirms a bit, folds his hands in his lap and leans over. He's talking down, into the floor, his voice low. Sandy is concentrating so hard he can hear the man breathing.  
  
"So I get up to leave, thank her for seeing me, and she says hold on, she has something to show me. And I can tell something is up, because she's acting even stranger then she has been. She disappears for a second and then, bam!" Carden snaps his fingers, "She shows back up and shoves a picture in my hand. 'His name is Ryan' she tells me. 'You left me something to remember you by.' And I turn the picture over and Jesus Christ, the hair is different but the picture could have been one of my boys. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to vomit. She tells me he isn't living with her anymore. He's with you." Carden looks up and Sandy can see he is starting to lose it. His eyes are watery, his voice quivering. His eyes meet Sandy's for a moment, and then turn away.  
  
"She shoved your work number and address at me. Told me she would call you, told me to get the hell out. So I did."  
  
Carden stops talking and Sandy assumes he's done. But the man springs from his chair suddenly, unconsciously knocking it over. His voice is getting louder and he is beginning to openly cry. He grinds the palms of his hands into his eyes.  
  
"No fucking word from her for seventeen years. She had my parent's number. She knew I loved her. She raised my child, my fucking first born, in that hell hole." He shakes his head back and forth vehemently. "She had no right to do that."  
  
Carden is trembling now, breaking down. He sags against Sandy's desk and slumps to the floor, sobbing. "God, he had Russell for a father. That fucking drug dropping, wife beating head job. My kid, living in that, with that." Carden pulls his knees up and folds his arms. Dropping his head into them he laments, "Jesus Christ, what am I going to do? How am I gonna fix this? I don't know what to do to fix this."  
  
Sandy is silent. He knew deep down from the moment he had met Carden that this revelation would be coming. But Sandy still wasn't prepared. He tears himself away from his own confusion to consider the man sitting on his floor. He should get the guy a tissue or perhaps, better yet, a round of Valium.  
  
Thanks again Dawn Atwood.  
  
Sandy's shrill cell phone ring breaks the silence, rising above Carden's sobs. Sandy places a hand on Carden's shoulder and quietly excuses himself. Normally he would ignore it, but Kirsten's number is the one that pops up and suddenly, Sandy desperately wants to hear his wife's voice.  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
To Be Continued 


	3. Thursday Afternoon Chapter Three

Disclaimer: The OC and its characters belong to someone with much more money than me.  
  
Author's note: This story takes place sometime after the Rescue because Sandy has changed jobs. Well I have to say wow and a huge thanks to all the reviews. You guys are so sweet because this story is an all over the place, frantic mess. But I am having fun writing it, so thanks again. A very special thanks to L for her beta skills.  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter Three  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Kirsten is concentrating on driving. She should have brought Ryan. It was stupid to leave him at home. He was just as worried about Seth as she was. But he didn't argue with her. He did as she asked. Ryan either completely complies or he burns down houses. No in-between with that kid. She wishes now he would have argued, or begged to come. She needs him.  
  
Seth is in the back of the Range Rover lying down, quiet, in misery. The vomiting started on the way to the doctor's office and hasn't stopped since. Doctor Demsky's office got Seth in right away. Kirsten was hoping for a quick prescription and a reassuring pat on the head. Instead, she finds herself driving to HOAG. Demsky was concerned about the high fever and possible dehydration. The doctor had offered to call a private transport to take Seth to the hospital but Seth began to fall apart at the mere thought of an ambulance. He tugged at Kirsten's arm, begging to go home, promising it was only the flu. He just needed to go home and go to sleep. Hospital bad, home good. Kirsten couldn't stand the pleading and agreed to take Seth herself.  
  
The kid is pissed off about going to the hospital but at least he's calmed down.  
  
Kirsten is shaky. Something is wrong. She can feel it. She should have taken Ryan with her. He'd be in the back of the car right now, with Seth, helping him or driving, and allowing Kirsten to parent properly. Kirsten reaches for her cell phone, deciding to give Sandy one more try before calling a cab to pick up Ryan and meet her and Seth at HOAG.  
  
In the back seat, Seth groans and jerks, his belly attempting a revolt. It's an impossible task. There's nothing left of Ryan's sandwich in his stomach.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
Ryan tries to distract himself by watching television. It's getting close to dinnertime and he's hungry. He's feeling guilty, wanting to eat while Seth is somewhere most likely as sick as a dog. He should have second guessed Kirsten and gone with them. But Ryan is still unsure of his place in this family. Kirsten must not have wanted him along. When the chips were down, it was still only she, Seth and Sandy.  
  
Ryan knows he's being ridiculous. Kirsten had been frazzled when she left, in a hurry. She just wanted to get out of the house, get Seth to the doctor's office before they closed. The last thing she needed to think about was Ryan. He was mad at himself for feeling this way, feeling left behind, left out.  
  
But even still, he can't help but think that just because she let you in the house doesn't mean she has to let you in.  
  
Ryan's stomach growls, it wants food. He wants a phone call. Kirsten, Sandy, hell even Seth at this point, it doesn't matter who as long as someone calls. Ryan looks at the clock on the television. Kirsten and Seth left over an hour and a half ago. Everything must be fine. Seth must be fine.  
  
Kirsten promised to call.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
Sandy flips open his cell phone. His hands are trembling. He composes himself before answering, "Hello?"  
  
Kirsten's sounds like she is drowning. Her voice is guarded, low, hurried. "Where have you been?" she demands. "I've been calling your phone for the past two hours. Did you get my messages?"  
  
Sandy sighs, 'No', he thinks to himself, 'Sorry honey, I've been busy meeting Ryan's biological father. He's in my office now, having a nervous breakdown. Shall I ask him to come to the phone?'  
  
Instead he answers her, "Um, no. I'm sorry. I was in a meeting. No cell phones allowed. If it was that important honey, you should have called the main office and had me paged."  
  
Kirsten's impatience is obvious in her tone, "I thought about that Sandy, but I was trying not to panic. You or me."  
  
Sandy is less distracted now by the man sitting on his office floor, crying. Kirsten's phone call is claiming his attention. "Kirsten, what's wrong, what's happening?"  
  
"Seth is sick," she rushes out in one breathe. "I took him to Demsky and now we are on our way to HOAG." She lowers her voice even more and whispers into the phone, "Something feels really wrong Sandy. I'm scared for Seth."  
  
Sandy scratches the side of his head furiously, looks at his office door, then looks back at the phone. Seth and Kirsten need him. Carden needs him. And he, Sandy needs to protect Ryan. He's in an impossible situation. Nonetheless, Sandy makes a quick decision.  
  
"I'm leaving the office right now Kirsten. How far away from HOAG are you?"  
  
He can hear Seth in the background calling Kirsten's name and his wife answering gently, "It's ok Seth, we're almost there. Hang on honey." She returns to the conversation on the phone, "Um, maybe five, ten minutes, this damn afternoon traffic. I should have let Demsky transport him. I let Seth talk me out of it. I'm an idiot."  
  
She sounds like she is about to bawl and Sandy is kicking himself for not checking his phone earlier. Demsky offered to transport Seth? Shit. Maybe something is actually wrong. He tries to reassure his wife, calm her. "No honey, you're not an idiot. Seth is all about the convincing. We both fall victim to it periodically. Just drive safely. I'll meet you at HOAG. I'm sure everything is fine. I love you. Tell Seth I love him too."  
  
Kirsten and he exchange a few more words before she hangs up. Sandy gathers his nerves and heads back to his office. How in the hell is he going to wrap this thing up with Carden and get to HOAG all within the next half hour? Seth is sick, Kirsten is freaking out. Sandy suddenly realizes in all the mayhem he forgot to ask where Ryan was.  
  
He forgot about Ryan.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
To Be Continued 


	4. Thursday Afternoon Chapter Four

Disclaimer: The OC and its characters belong to someone with much more money than me.  
  
Author's note: This story takes place sometime after the Rescue because Sandy has changed jobs. Well, we are marching on. Thanks to all for reading. Thanks L for reading and betaing.  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter Four  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Kirsten pulls into the emergency entrance at HOAG and contemplates what to do.  
  
"Seth?" she calls into the back seat. "Talk to me." Kirsten unhooks her seat belt and gets out of the car. Opening the back passenger door, she puts her hand on Seth's forehead. He's burning up.  
  
Kirsten squats down and says to him gently, "Seth, we're here honey. You have about five seconds to convince me you don't need a stretcher."  
  
Seth groans and tries to sit up. He covers his eyes when the sunlight meets them head on. Lovely, he has developed one hell of a headache.  
  
"The light, it burns." He tries his best to sound like a vampire but the humor is lost on his mother.  
  
"I'm getting a stretcher," Kirsten states but Seth reaches out and stops her. "Mom, it's ok. Everyone is overreacting."  
  
Seth manages to get himself upright and edges towards the exit of the vehicle, sliding to the door. He uses the car door handle to ease himself slowly to a standing position. It's still too fast and suddenly Seth finds that the world is spinning. He was dizzy before he stood up, but now it's just hopeless. His feet lose the battle to stay upright and he crumples to the ground, landing on his ass. Kirsten scrambles to help her ailing son, managing to slow the descent.  
  
"Maybe just a wheelchair," Seth suggests to the air.  
  
Kirsten has already run off in search of assistance.  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Sandy hesitantly opens his office door. Ed Carden has composed himself slightly, picked up the knocked over chair and is sitting with several tissues wadded up in his hand. He glances up at Sandy, teary-eyed as the dark-haired lawyer enters the room.  
  
"God, I must seem like a real nut-job to you. I'm sorry I lost it. I told myself not to. I'm just really...confused right now."  
  
Sandy walks over to Carden and puts his hand on his shoulder. "Not at all. You've had one seriously twisted afternoon. I'm surprised you're keeping it together as well as you are."  
  
Carden looks up at Sandy and smiles appreciatively. Seeing that the guy is calmer, Sandy feels more comfortable asking the man if they can wrap things up for now, get back together once Sandy knows what's up with Seth.  
  
"Uh, that was just my wife on the phone," Sandy starts. "She's on her way to the hospital with our son Seth. She's not sure what's going on. He's sick, high temp. I need to go. I'm sorry; this couldn't have come up at a worse time. I feel horrible ending things like this."  
  
Carden has two kids; he understands. Standing, he shakes Sandy's hand.  
  
"I'm in town for two more days," he informs Sandy. After retrieving a piece of paper from his wallet, Ed hands over his hotel room phone number as well as his cell phone number. "I wrote these down before coming over here." Carden explains. "I had a feeling we would need more than an afternoon to resolve this...situation. Go, take care of your kid."  
  
Sandy accepts the piece of paper and searches out one of his business cards from off the large desk. He jots down his cell number on the back of the card and hands it to Carden. "Are you going to be ok?" He asks Ed. Despite their short time together, Sandy has grown to like this guy. He is genuinely concerned about his well-being. "Do you have anyone you can talk to?"  
  
Carden wipes at his eyes. "About this?" he laughs slightly. "Probably not. But I actually feel talked out. I'm going to grab a quiet dinner. Hit the bed early. Think about things. Can you call me tomorrow if everything is ok with your kid? I have some questions...about Ryan. How he is? Is he doing ok? I know we need to discuss paternity testing before this thing goes much further."  
  
Sandy inches towards the door, "I'll definitely call you tomorrow morning. No way would I make you wait. I appreciate your flexibility on this. Thanks for understanding."  
  
The two men shake hands once more and Carden goes to open the office door. Sandy has a sudden impulsive thought and tells the man, "Wait, I have something to show you." The lawyer grabs a candid photo of the three Cohens plus Ryan out of his desk drawer. He's been meaning to find a frame for it but hasn't had time.  
  
"How old was that picture of Ryan that Dawn showed you?" he asks Carden.  
  
"I don't know," the man shrugs. "Third, fourth grade?"  
  
Sandy grins. He'd like to see it. He's never seen a picture of a younger Ryan except for a few Polaroids in Ryan's social services file. The kid was never smiling in those. Sandy holds out the photo, "This is Ryan now. We were at a charity event. The dark haired goof ball is Seth."  
  
Carden hesitates before taking the photo from Sandy. He gazes down at it. The Cohen family looks happy. The boy he suspects in all likelihood is his first born son looks content; California sun-kissed hair, sparkling eyes. He's a handsome kid. Ed desperately wants to beg Sandy Cohen to stay. Explain to him what kind of a monster Ryan has to be to deserve abandonment by Dawn. She mentioned something about stealing a car but the kid in this picture looks far from being a street thug.  
  
Carden returns the photo and reaches into his wallet.  
  
"You have some handsome boys, Mr. Cohen. Thank you for sharing that with me."  
  
Sandy replies with a quiet welcome and the two men exit his office.  
  
As they stand at the elevator waiting for the doors to open, Carden hands Sandy two small photos. "These are my two boys," he says proudly. "Josh is ten, Brad is eight."  
  
Sandy is becoming desperate to get out of his office building and to Kirsten and Seth. The sudden revelation concerning Ryan's possible parentage is overwhelming at best. It's profoundly not fair that he should have to balance it with Seth's health. He feels torn. Reaching for the two photos out of sheer politeness, Sandy spies a smiling kid, most likely the ten year old, beaming at the camera. The boy looks just like his father.  
  
The elevator opens. Sandy and Ed step into it. As the door closes, Sandy flips to the other picture. His heart misses a beat. This must be Brad, the eight-year-old, he surmises.  
  
Maybe he doesn't need to see a picture of a younger Ryan. Carden has more or less just provided him with one.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
To Be Continued 


	5. Thursday Afternoon Chapter Five

Disclaimer: The OC and its characters belong to someone with much more money than me.  
  
Author's note: This story takes place sometime after the Rescue because Sandy has changed jobs. Can it get any more melodramatic? Yes, I think it can. Hope everyone has eaten enough fiber today. Thanks for the beta L, you are one patient person.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter Five  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Kirsten paces outside the emergency room treatment area. 30 minutes before, outside the entrance, a male nurse responded to her request for help. The man joked nonchalantly with Seth as he assisted the teenager from the Range Rover to the ER. Kirsten tried to follow them into the curtained off treatment area but the nurse gently held her back, gave her thumbs up and a slight squeeze on the shoulder, and assured her someone would be right out to see her. A nurse had emerged eventually, asked permission for a cursory exam, requested that Kristen sign a quick permission to treat.  
  
Now alone, Kirsten peeks around the corner, trying to get a glimpse of her son. No luck. She gives up and flops into an uncomfortable chair.  
  
A young woman in bright blue scrubs comes from the ER and Kirsten jumps up on impulse.  
  
Spying a distraught woman she suspects is the mother of the teenager she is treating, Doctor Holbrith walks up and asks, "Are you Kirsten Cohen? We seem to have found something that belongs to you."  
  
Kirsten is taken aback by the woman's casual attitude. Her son is sick and it's scaring the hell out of her. She wants answers, not jokes.  
  
Possibly sensing Kirsten's cold response, the woman gets down to business. Introducing herself as Doctor Holbrith, she informs Kirsten that Doctor Demsky has already been in contact with HOAG. All the paperwork has been faxed from his office, most of the red tape already processed. Kirsten nods. She doesn't give a damn about paperwork. She glances nervously at the emergency room entrance. Where the hell is Sandy?  
  
"So, Seth tells us that he woke up this morning not feeling well," the doctor states. "When do you recall the fever starting?"  
  
Kirsten pulls her attention away from the door and back to the doctor. "Um, I guess he woke up with it. He came downstairs complaining, looking flushed. I took his temperature right away, but it was fairly low, 100.7. I gave him some Motrin. I was a little bit surprised when I checked it at noon. It was up to 102 something but I assumed that the Motrin was just wearing off. I gave him some more. When I checked again at three o'clock, and it was still going up, then I knew we had a problem and I took him to Doctor Demsky's office. He's started vomiting now too, did he tell you that?"  
  
Doctor Holbrith nods, "Yes, Demsky mentioned that also. Mrs. Cohen, Seth is showing signs of moderate dehydration and the fever is still up, 104.1 a few minutes ago. We started him on an intravenous drip to restore some fluids although I'm somewhat restricting fluid intake until I rule out a few things."  
  
The doctor hesitates and then adds, "Mrs. Cohen, the odds are that we are most likely dealing with something relatively harmless, but the fever is a concern. Plus, Seth is complaining of a severe headache, vomiting, he's light sensitive. Even though we are engaging him in conversation, he keeps dozing off."  
  
Kirsten nods, "He's been asleep most of the day."  
  
Doctor Demsky takes in Kirsten's remark then continues, "So, as I was saying, it might just be a nasty case of the flu. But unfortunately quite a few of Seth's symptoms are consistent with meningitis."  
  
Kirsten loses her breath. People die from meningitis. Seth's words in the car come back to haunt her.  
  
'Everyone is overreacting.'  
  
"Are you familiar with meningitis Mrs. Cohen?" Doctor Holbrith asks Kirsten. The doctor suspects that the woman is indeed familiar with the germ. Mrs. Cohen has lost all the color in her face.  
  
"Yes," Kirsten responds quietly.  
  
The doctor marches on. "I hate to put Seth through a lumbar puncture, which is the most expedient test for meningitis, but given that time is of the essence, its imparative that we do so. Early detection, even by a matter of a few hours can make all the difference in the world. He's not complaining about neck soreness, which is a huge point in our favor, nor does he have a rash, which often accompanies meningitis. The neck soreness can sometimes be difficult to determine, especially with the severity of Seth's headache. He's not moving his head voluntarily. The headache could be masking neck pain."  
  
"He woke up sore," Kirsten confirms. She tries to concentrate on this morning. Was Seth complaining about his neck or everywhere?  
  
Doctor Holbrith listens to Kirsten's input then finishes with, "I'll be honest with you, Doctor Demsky doesn't think it's meningitis. He's more concerned with dehydration. But I'm not comfortable with waiting it out. Your son is presenting too many risk factors associated with meningitis."  
  
Kirsten lowers her head. "I understand. I agree with you."  
  
Doctor Holbrith inquires as to whether or not Kirsten would like any more information on the lumbar puncture procedure and meningitis. Kirsten accepts. Educating herself is the only way at this point that she's going to feel even a medium of control. An admittance nurse approaches with a clipboard and Doctor Holbrith whispers something to her. Taking the clipboard into her hands, the doctor suggests to Kirsten that they have a seat in the more comfortable waiting room area. She explains the lumbar puncture to Kirsten, informs her of several other tests they will perform, including a nasal and throat swab, and requests several signatures. Kirsten complies.  
  
Having completed the paperwork, the doctor inquires if Kirsten has any more questions.  
  
Shaking her head no, Kirsten tentatively requests, "Can I be with him? Can I stay with Seth during the procedures?"  
  
Doctor Holbrith calls the admittance nurse back over and relinquishes the clipboard to her. "Of course," she responds. "We're moving Seth to a more isolated treatment area. You'll have to wear a gown, mask, and gloves."  
  
Things are moving too fast for Kirsten. Her head is spinning. She wants to go home, listen to Seth ramble about anything.  
  
Slowly, Kirsten starts to switch gears, from frantic mother to businesswoman. She can do this. She can robot her way through whatever Seth needs her to do.  
  
Stopping off at the registration desk, Kirsten asks the nurse to keep an eye out for her husband and then follows Dr. Holbrith down the hall.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Ryan is growing desperate. Kirsten should have called by now. Sandy still hasn't called yet. He leans his head against the wall of the house and then slams his hand several times into it.  
  
Shit!  
  
Why hasn't anyone called him?  
  
He reaches for the phone and punches in Sandy's cell number.  
  
His foster father answers on the first ring.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Sandy is stuck in traffic, edging his way to HOAG one quarter of a mile at a time. Kirsten hasn't called him back, only adding to his uneasiness. When the cell phone rings, he snatches it up. Recognizing his home number, not Kirsten's cell, Sandy has no doubt who the caller is.  
  
What in the hell is he going to say to Ryan?  
  
He opts for hello.  
  
"Sandy!" Ryan voice is punctuated by a hint of panic. "Do you know what's going on? Have you talked to Kirsten? Her and Seth left here hours ago; she was supposed to call me. Did she get a hold of you? Seth is sick, she took him to the doctor's but something's not right. She should have called me by now."  
  
'Jesus', Sandy thinks to himself. The mystery to Ryan's constant introverted demeanor is solved. Give the boy a medical emergency and he is suddenly the great inquisitor.  
  
"Ryan, slow down," Sandy urges the kid. "Yes, I spoke to Kirsten. No, I'm not really sure what's going on. Yes, she should have called you. No, she probably didn't have time."  
  
Ryan is silent, perhaps taking in Sandy's answers. Carefully, Sandy measures his next words; "Seth's doctor was a bit concerned over his temperature so he suggested that Kirsten take him to HOAG. I'm on my way there now to meet them. I'm sorry, I don't have time to swing by and pick you up. Why don't we wait and see what's going on before all of us rush over. It's probably nothing."  
  
"Ok," Ryan says quietly. "I'm sorry, I'm just worried about Seth."  
  
Sandy pulls up to HOAG and assures Ryan one last time that he will call as soon as he has any information on Seth. As he hangs up the phone and searches for a parking spot, Sandy is nauseous. How many more times is he going to speak to Ryan today before he tells him about Ed Carden? How many times before Ryan can't forgive him for not mentioning it sooner?  
  
Sandy finds a parking spot and clambers from the car. Ryan is mature. He's smart. He's just as worried about Seth as Kirsten and Sandy are. When the dust clears, he'll be rational about Sandy's waiting to tell him. He won't run off, or burn a house down, or thumb his way back to Chino. Ryan will understand.  
  
Sandy bursts through the emergency entrance and scans the room. Finding the registration desk, he inquires as to where Kirsten and his son are. The nurse responds with a guarded, "Oh Mr. Cohen. Why don't you follow me please?"  
  
She leads Sandy to a small corridor marked Isolation. The nurse buzzes a door and Sandy is escorted in. There's a small waiting room to the left and a row of private rooms lining the hallway.  
  
A tearful Kirsten sits in the waiting room, staring into space. She spots Sandy and stands up.  
  
The whole time he had been driving to HOAG, Sandy told himself that Doctor Demsky was only being precautious, Kirsten overprotective. But this is an emergency room isolation area, Kirsten is in tears and Seth is nowhere in sight. His wife walks up to him, her shoulders shaking, and lays her head into his shoulder, crying in earnest now.  
  
For the second time this afternoon, Sandy Cohen's nervous system freezes up. Once again, he takes a quick breath. Gets control. Proceeds.  
  
"Kirsten, honey, where's Seth, what's wrong?"  
  
Kirsten rubs her face into his shirt. He tries again.  
  
"Kirsten. You're scaring me. Where's Seth. What's going on?"  
  
A woman in bright blue scrubs walks up to them and introduces herself. "Mr. Cohen, I'm Doctor Holbrith. I'm treating your son Seth. Why don't we sit down and talk."  
  
Sandy nods silently and takes Kirsten hand. The two of them follow the doctor into the waiting room.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
At home, Ryan sits in a lounge chair, looking out at the ocean. Eighteen minutes have passed since he phoned Sandy. His hand hurts from hitting it against the wall. His stomach is still growling.  
  
Ryan's not really a part of this family. He knows the Cohen's care about him. He knows that Sandy would do anything for him. He knows that Seth worships him and that Kirsten is learning to appreciate him but deep down, he knows that if he were really a part of this family...somebody would have called.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
To Be Continued 


	6. Thursday Afternoon Chapter Six

Disclaimer: The OC and its characters belong to someone with much more money than me.  
  
Author's note:  
  
See, I'm updating. I'm all about the update. I'm on fire with the update. I know the chapters are short so I'm trying to compensate with quick postings. I'll have another up tomorrow. Many thanks to my beta Liz.  
  
Antigone 11, at first I was confused by your comment about the writing style, so I re-read everything and I think I know what you mean. Let me know if I'm back on track. I'd appreciate it.  
  
Thanks for reading everyone. I never expected so may reviews. Hell, I never expected anyone to read it! Thanks for taking the time. And now on with the drama...  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter Six  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Seth Cohen is feeling minty.  
  
Sort of.  
  
Ok, so the whole big needle in his back, extendo Q-Tip up his nose was maybe...not so much fun. And the constant dry heaving; maybe... not so much fun. Killer headache? Third verse same as the first.  
  
But now?  
  
The drugs have begun.  
  
Doctor Holbrith promised him that if he was a good little boy for the lumbar puncture and nasal swab, he would be rewarded with a snazzy IV cocktail chock full of a bunch of drugs whose names he can't remember.  
  
Names are not so important at this moment. Results are all that count. And Seth knows that he is feeling shiny. He's sure that the fact that his core temperature is exceeding maximum overdrive is most likely a problem he should be disturbed by and that without the aforementioned drugs he'd currently be trying to vomit up an internal organ, but Seth Cohen can't be concerned about that now. Thanks to his intravenous cocktail, the headache is receding.  
  
Seth settles back into a dream. Summer, a boat, Tahiti. Summer in a little bitty bikini, sailing on a boat, to Tahiti, with him.  
  
"Seth?" he hears a nurse call. She's told him her name, but he can't seem to recall it. "Seth? Can you wake up? Your dad's here to see you."  
  
Seth loves his dad, really he does. But no man can compete with Summer and that dream he keeps having every time he closes his eyes. Sandy Cohen will have to wait.  
  
Seth drifts off, feeling his father's fingers combing through his hair.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Ed Carden picks at his meal. He's not hungry. He shouldn't have wasted money on food he had no intention of eating. If Sara were alive, she would be chastising him. But she's dead, his boys are a thousand miles away, and his heart is breaking. He can't stop thinking about Ryan, even saying the name out loud several times, just to make it more real. Sandy Cohen seems like a nice guy, but he is a lawyer and will no doubt demand a paternity test before he even allows a single communication with the boy. Hell, barely a boy. Ed realizes his first-born son is almost a man. No, not first-born, possibly first-born. But if Ryan is his, will tests and court dates rob what little of the kid's childhood Ed has left?  
  
All those years lost. Ed knows deep down in his soul why Dawn never told him about the boy. He would have flown to Fresno and claimed Ryan, saved him from Dawn and her demented husband and their dysfunctional lives. For whatever reason, Dawn wanted to keep Ryan for herself. Maybe she wanted to save her marriage. Maybe she wanted Trey to grow up with a sibling. Maybe she was just being selfish, or scared, or didn't even realize what had happened until she saw Ryan for the first time and recognized Ed in him.  
  
When it was all said and done, the results were the same. Dawn had kept Ryan for herself, and then she had thrown him away.  
  
But the kid had survived. He seemed to be thriving if Sandy Cohen and his family picture were to be believed.  
  
Ed wasn't a man of beliefs. He didn't believe in fate or destiny or even religion. But still, the timing of all this was just too eerie. Sara had been ripped from his life, and now Ryan delivered into it.  
  
Shoving his dinner aside, Ed retrieves Sandy's business card. How hard would it be to find the Cohen's house? Probably not too difficult. He picks up his laptop and heads for the hotel's recreation room. He remembers seeing a sign there, promising DSL service for a reasonable rate.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Sandy finishes removing a pale yellow hospital gown and exits Seth's room. He makes his way into the isolation waiting area. Kirsten looks up at him expectantly.  
  
"He's asleep," he tells his worried wife. "I don't think he's in any pain. He looks peaceful."  
  
All Kirsten can think about is the lumbar puncture. Seth had been scared to death and Kirsten had been able to do nothing but hold his hand and tell him that he was doing great. She had sounded like a goddamn cheerleader. The nasal swab was worse. Sandy should have been there. He should have checked his cell phone sooner. He should have been there for his son.  
  
"Kirsten," Sandy interrupts her aggressive thoughts, "We need to call Ryan. He's going crazy. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he's on his way right now on that damn bike of his."  
  
Kirsten wearily rubs her forehead. God, in all the frenzied activity, she forgot about Ryan. Her last words to him were a promise to call.  
  
"I'll do it," she tells Sandy. "I'll call Ryan, I'm overdue."  
  
"What are you going to tell him?" Sandy asks. Ryan can be unpredictable, short on patience and temper. All they need now is to be worried about him as well as Seth.  
  
"I'm going to tell him the truth, Sandy," Kirsten states, short tempered herself. "He's a big boy, he can take it."  
  
Sandy watches his wife make her way to a secluded corner of the waiting room. How many times can he talk to Kirsten without mentioning Ed Carden? The results of Seth's test for meningitis will be back soon, the doctor mentioned that it would only take a little over an hour. Sandy decides to wait until at least the test results comes back before speaking with Kirsten. She's so upset about Seth right now that she wouldn't be able to process the news anyway.  
  
Leaving Kirsten to her phone call, Sandy returns to Seth's hospital bed. He repeats the visiting procedures. Puts on the unfamiliar hospital garb.  
  
His son is still asleep.  
  
Watching a nurse replace the ice packs positioned around Seth's body, Sandy wonders how in the hell the kid can sleep with those mini-glaciers on him. Then again, Seth was always a heavy sleeper.  
  
Sandy waits until the nurse leaves and then leans over, putting his hand on his son's chest. "I'm right here Seth," he assures the sleeping boy. "Everything's okay."  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Kirsten dials her home number; after a few rings, Ryan answers.  
  
Before she called, Kirsten considered feigning cheerfulness. But she's too tired and Ryan's too smart for that nonsense.  
  
When she hears his soft inquiry, "Kirsten?" She answers with a lethargic, "Hi Ryan. Are you still talking to me?"  
  
When he doesn't respond one way or another right away, Kirsten wonders if he is considering her proposal. After a few more seconds Ryan asks, "Is Seth okay? Sandy said you guys are at HOAG. What the hell is happening?"  
  
Kirsten sighs to herself. "It's complicated Ryan. They think Seth might have meningitis. Even if he has that, they still have to determine if it's viral or bacterial, and then they have to figure out what strain, and decide how to treat it. I don't know if we'll have definite answers tonight or not. Right now we are just waiting on the initial test results for meningitis."  
  
"You should have let me come with you," he blurts out, and then backs off slightly, "I could be there to help."  
  
Kirsten glances at her watch. Forty minutes have passed since the lumbar puncture.  
  
"You're right Ryan," she concedes. "It was stupid to leave you at home and I should have called a lot sooner. I've been very inconsiderate, and I'm sorry."  
  
"I was just worried," the boy says in his usual distant manner. "I knew something was wrong and no one called."  
  
"Of course," Kirsten responds. "This won't happen again Ryan. You won't be left out of the loop again."  
  
The other end of the receiver is silent.  
  
"Ryan," Kirsten continues, "How are you feeling? Any sign of a fever, neck stiffness, anything like that? This is important Ryan. If you feel the slightest bit sick, I need to know about it now."  
  
"I'm hungry."  
  
Kirsten decides that her ears must not be functioning properly. "What?" she inquires in an attempt to clarify.  
  
"I'm hungry," he repeats.  
  
Kirsten laughs. "Well we don't need a doctor to diagnosis that problem."  
  
Ryan is still reserved. His hesitantly asks, "If I can bum a ride, can I come down there?"  
  
Kirsten was waiting to field this one. "No, Ryan. You couldn't see Seth right now even if you managed to get here. They have us isolated until they determine whether or not he has meningitis. If he does have it, a certain strain, Sandy will run out to the house and pick you up. There's some kind of treatment for family members." Kirsten waits for Ryan to say something.  
  
"I'm gonna go look up meningitis on the computer."  
  
"It may not even be that Ryan, let's not jump to any conclusions until the test results come back," she urges him.  
  
Ryan thanks her for calling and Kirsten reminds him to eat something.  
  
As she hangs up, Kirsten promises herself that this is the last time she will overlook Ryan. She knows Ryan well enough to recognize the tone of disappointment that was in his voice. He was sitting at home by himself waiting for her to call and she let him down.  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
To Be Continued 


	7. Thursday Afternoon Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: The OC and its characters belong to someone with much more money than me.  
  
Author's note: See, next chapter. I bet some of you doubted me. A few of you, let's see a show of hands. I thought so.  
  
My beta Liz went beta happy so we have a steady supply of updates all week. Thank you Liz. And I added a few lines after she sent this back to me, so hopefully I didn't screw it up too much. I know the chapters are short but I end them where it feels right. So use this story as an appetizer before you settle down with the other fic.  
  
Anyway, the reviews are a blast. I really appreciate the feedback, all of it. It makes me think, which is a good thing. Thanks for taking the time.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Ed Carden sits in his rental car in the hotel parking garage. He has the Cohen's address. That was the easy part. Now he has to decide what to do. Ed's been military for more than seventeen years. He understands the purpose and significance of sound order and self-control. He should chill out, go back to his hotel room, think things through, and not make any rash decisions.  
  
But his wife's sudden death has taken Ed's world order, put it in a cement mixer and shaken the hell out of everything.  
  
He didn't create this situation, Dawn did. He could die on the flight home, Ryan would never even know he existed, continue to believe that Russell was his father.  
  
All right, so, chances are the plane wasn't going to crash.  
  
But reality speaking, he has less than forty-eight hours in California, maybe a few more if he changes his plane ticket. His leave is up. He's due back to work Monday. The United States Air Force is a bit of a stickler for promptness. His boys miss him. He owes them stability.  
  
Sandy Cohen seems like a genuine person. Ryan is being cared for.  
  
The irony of the timing of Dawn's desertion of her son isn't lost on Ed. If he would have come to California sooner after Sara's death, he might very well have three boys at home instead of two.  
  
Shit! What is he thinking? This kid might not even be his; hell, they hadn't even met yet. If he keeps talking like this, Ryan will probably dismiss him as a psycho.  
  
Paternity isn't proven based on gut instinct. Ed's more rational side knows he has to slow down, get the test, spend time coursing a logical plan, allow the Cohens to have input on how to proceed.  
  
Carden taps his fingers on the dashboard of the rental.  
  
The kid looks just like Brad.  
  
Ed starts his car, digs the Mapquest directions out of his briefcase and pulls out of the parking garage.  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
Sandy watches the clock above Seth's hospital bed. Over an hour has lapsed since Kirsten said the lumbar puncture had been completed.  
  
Seth is still asleep.  
  
Parked in a chair next to Seth's bed, Sandy's arm feels the cold of the metal railing it is lying on. The chill is slowly ebbing its way through the lawyer's body.  
  
A nurse comes in, checks Seth, offers to turn on the television set. Sandy declines. As bizarre as it sounds, he feels that this time with Seth is a gift, an Alpha wake-up call. Work, the office, petty family dramas, traffic, and side-projects: when the hell did his priorities become so twisted? How ridiculous and insignificant are the things you consider important when they can all be thrown aside the minute a doctor says to you, 'Let's sit down and talk, Mr. Cohen.'  
  
Seth's temperature is still going up. Sandy heard the nurse page Doctor Holbrith, 104.5. Kirsten is in the waiting room. It's killing her to see her son like this. They take turns sitting with Seth, telling each other that the room is small and that there isn't enough space for the both of them. But the truth is it feels less nerve-wracking with just one of them in here at a time.  
  
Kirsten is mad at him; Sandy can sense it. He just can't apply any energy to solve that problem until the doctor tells him what in the hell is going on with his son. When he knows Seth is okay, Sandy will start to clear away the debris of the day.  
  
Seth begins struggling his way into consciousness, moving his head side to side on the pillow. His black hair is glossy with sweat, erratic curls semi-glued to the sides of his face.  
  
"Seth?" Sandy calls his son's name, trying to help the boy wake up. "Seth, it's dad."  
  
Seth opens his eyes cautiously, squints and focuses in on his father to the best of his abilities.  
  
A quiet, confused question, "Dad? Did we paint my room?"  
  
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Sandy laughs out loud. Leave it to Seth. God he loves this kid so much.  
  
"No Seth, you're in the hospital, not at home. Remember?"  
  
Seth raises his IV free arm and lowers it over his eyes.  
  
"They stuck a big Q-Tip up my nose dad."  
  
Sandy nods, "I know. I'm sorry about that."  
  
"And a massive needle in my back."  
  
Again Sandy nods, he commiserates, "That was very mean of them Seth, but I assure you their intentions were pure."  
  
Seth returns his arm to his side. His eyes are closed. "I think I scared Mom."  
  
Sandy puts a hand on top of Seth's forehead; his thumb rubs in small circles. "I've been doing that for years kid."  
  
Seth opens his eyes a bit and looks curiously at Sandy. "Why are you wearing an ugly yellow dress and a Michael Jackson mask?"  
  
Sandy sighs, "Because you, my friend, are most likely contagious."  
  
"Oh," Seth mouths. "I'm thirsty, can I have a drink?"  
  
"Not just yet," Sandy answers. He's not sure if he's allowed to give his son anything and there's no water anywhere in sight. Seth's voice is raspy. Sandy doesn't remember Seth's voice ever being this soft.  
  
"I'm going back to Tahiti now," Seth says dreamily and drifts off to sleep.  
  
Sandy sits motionless, his hand still on his son's forehead. A nurse comes to the door and tells him that Doctor Holbrith would like to see him. Sandy stands up and follows her out of the room.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
To Be Continued 


	8. Thursday Afternoon Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: The OC and its characters belong to someone with much more money than me.  
  
Author's note: I had most of this story written weeks ago. After reading all the unbelievable reviews, I'm a little freaked out that my story isn't going to live up to expectations. Hope these future chapters don't disappoint. And I always say it but I truly mean it, thanks for reading and the reviews are MUCH appreciated.  
  
Bow to my beta Liz.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Caleb calls from New York, asking where Kirsten is. Ryan tells him she's out with Sandy and Seth.  
  
It's not a lie and Ryan's not sure what he should be saying. Getting Caleb all stirred up about Seth when the old man is on another coast isn't going to help the situation.  
  
He wanders into the kitchen, still in search of food. Ryan tried eating once, but his heart wasn't in it. He grabs a piece of luncheon meat and stuffs it into his mouth. There's a bottle of Seagrams 7 in the cabinet above the fridge. He's trying really hard to ignore it. There's a pack of cigarettes in his backpack that he has taken the time to pay attention to.  
  
He made sure to throw the butts away.  
  
Ambling into the den, Ryan collapses on the couch, picks at an odd thread on the arm. He spent thirty minutes on the computer reading about meningitis. He's more confused now than when he started. Some of the web sites acted as if Seth would come home right away, some talked about long hospital stays. They all ended with big bold print at the bottom; IN EXTREME CASES, DEATH CAN RESULT.  
  
He walked away from the computer in frustration, smacking the hard drive tower. Oops, might have to talk to Sandy about that one.  
  
Ryan pulls himself off the couch and meanders upstairs, looks into Seth's room. It's a mess; the bed unmade, clothes everywhere, CD cases piled hodgepodge. They were supposed to go to a party tonight. Seth was looking forward to it.  
  
That's the way it is with them. Seth makes the plans and Ryan tags along. Ryan likes it that way. He likes Seth's high energy, his constant motion. It distracts everyone from Ryan's lack of participation. Helps everyone in the house forget that Ryan is always just one step away from snapping like a guitar string. He tries; God knows he tries to relax. It's gotten better. He's learning to at least listen before he decides to punch.  
  
Well, sometimes he listens.  
  
Ryan walks into Seth's room and sits on the bed. Looking around, he decides that he should pack a bag for Seth, bring him a CD player, some CD's, maybe that bottle of Seagrams.  
  
He picks up a CD case - The Shins – but it's empty. He should find it. It's one of Seth's favorites. Ryan digs into several stacks; no Shins disc. He tries the CD player; no luck.  
  
Seth's bedroom is so quiet; as if the room is holding it's breath for Seth to return.  
  
Sometimes Ryan misses the tension his mom's home provided. In many ways, his life in Chino was more emotionally comfortable. Anger, action, screaming, crying, tears, apologies. This house, the Cohen's home, allows him too much time to think, too peaceful. Gives him the luxury of steady meals, sleep, people who notice. Forces him to pay attention to the chaos in his head, not just the chaos surrounding him. Maybe that's why he clings to Seth, took to the kid right away. Seth still represents insane movement, constant activity, and instant diversion.  
  
Ryan finds another pile to rummage through and smiles as he locates the missing CD. He'll pack a bag for Seth, put all his favorites in it. Go downstairs, eat something substantial for Kirsten, ignore the Seagrams for Sandy, smoke one more cigarette for himself.  
  
Wait for news.  
  
Try not to think too hard about Seth.  
  
The phone rings, interrupting his plans. Ryan's disappointed when he sees the gatehouse number pop up. Roger, the security officer, asks if Sandy is expecting anyone. Ryan has no idea, but this is Newport right? Even robbers in Newport wouldn't stop and check in at gatehouses. He tells Roger to go ahead and send the person in.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Doctor Holbrith glides into the waiting room with a manila folder in her hand. Sandy and Kirsten both stand up to greet her. They don't know what else to do.  
  
"Well, I owe Doctor Demsky a steak dinner," Holbrith announces.  
  
Kirsten understands. She lets out a quiet, "Oh thank God," and turns to face the wall. Sandy is confused. He looks to Holbrith for an answer.  
  
"It's not meningitis, Mr. Cohen," the doctor smiles reassuringly. "It's not looking like strep throat either. We're still waiting on lab results from the nasal swab and some blood work we ran. The strep test should be repeated one more time in the next twenty-four hours before it's officially ruled out."  
  
Sandy realizes that he has just been delivered good news, but his kid is still lying in a hospital bed. He's not ready to celebrate. He probes the doctor for more information.  
  
"If it's not meningitis, what is it? Seth is still sick. Is not knowing better than knowing?"  
  
Holbrith shrugs, "In this case, most likely yes. I believe once it is said and done, the flu culture is going to turn up positive. Now that we know it's not meningitis, I can treat the dehydration more aggressively. Get more fluids into Seth. That will help significantly. He's already responding to the Tordal we gave him for his headache."  
  
Sandy is still not convinced. "What about his temperature? It's still going up."  
  
Holbrith nods, "Well, that is a concern, yes, but it's slowing down. The drip is helping. We'll start pushing a combination of acetaminophen and ibuprophen intravenously every two hours. The additional fluids will help."  
  
Sandy is speechless, staring at the doctor, mouth agape. Five minutes ago he thought his son might have a possibly deadly disease. Now, if he's following along correctly, Seth most likely has the flu. Holbrith seems to recognize Sandy's befuddlement.  
  
"Mr. Cohen, I know it seems like things have just switched gears suddenly, and they have. But please understand that when Seth came to the hospital earlier this evening, I would have bet the farm we were looking at meningitis. I live to give parents news like this. I am thrilled to have been proven wrong. And I don't mean to belittle Seth's condition. He's still a very sick kid. There are lots of things to be ruled out yet. But no meningitis is a good place to start. We're going to work on getting that temp down, wait for more lab results, keep him isolated as a precaution against respiratory infection."  
  
Kirsten's head snaps up.  
  
The doctor holds out her hand in a stop motion, "Isolation at this point in the game is simply a prudent precaution. His lungs sound good. We want to keep it that way. We'll continue to aggressively treat the dehydration. The additional test results should be available within the next hour or so."  
  
Holbrith shakes hands with the Cohens and excuses herself. A call just came in concerning a seven-year-old hit and run victim. She's needed elsewhere.  
  
Sandy and Kirsten look at each other stunned and gradually ease into chairs.  
  
"When he gets out of this hospital," Sandy mumbles, "I'm so going to kick his ass for putting us through this."  
  
"Yep." Kirsten nods slowly in agreement, "Get in line."  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Ryan opens the front door anticipating an old, fossily, lawyer kind of guy. Instead he finds a blond headed man, maybe Kirsten's age.  
  
Ryan stares at the man. The guy stares back, his gaze intense, making Ryan feel like he is being studied.  
  
Straightening his shoulders, Ryan pulls himself up as tall as possible, cocks his head, waits for the guy to make the first move.  
  
Finally the man breaks the silence. He scratches the back of his neck. "Um, hi, I'm Ed Carden. I'm an acquaintance of Sandy's. Maybe he's mentioned me?"  
  
Ryan shakes his head no, waits for more information.  
  
The man extends his hand. Ryan shakes it, but keeps his guard up. He offers, "Sandy's not here. I don't know when he'll be home. Something, uh, came up... unexpectedly."  
  
The man bites his bottom lip. "Yeah, Seth is sick."  
  
Ryan swings his head to the other side. This guy knows Sandy well enough to know Seth is sick.  
  
"So you uh, work with Sandy?" Ryan poses. The guy is dressed like he could be a lawyer. Boring.  
  
"Um, yeah," the man verifies. "Sandy had to leave the office in a hurry. He asked me to stop by and drop something off." The guy smiles and pats his briefcase.  
  
Ryan opens the door a little wider, providing the gentleman room to come into the house.  
  
"Um," Ryan gestures with his thumb, suggesting that the man should follow him into the house.  
  
Carden eases his way in, looks around, impressed with the foyer. Tells himself he is doing the right thing. Takes a deep breath. Closes the front door.  
  
Ryan is five feet ahead, already heading for the dining room.  
  
"Yeah, so if you leave it here," Ryan pats the top of the dining room table, "I'll make sure Sandy gets it when he comes home."  
  
Carden nods in appreciation and pretends to dig something out of his briefcase. "You must be Ryan." Ed tries to stall the moment, figure out a way to get this kid to let him stay a few more minutes. "Sandy's told me a lot about you."  
  
Ryan watches Carden poking through his briefcase. He's uncomfortable with the thought of Sandy using him as casual office conversation. Something about this guy doesn't feel right. He shouldn't have let him in the house. Newport is making him soft. Instead of responding to the man, Ryan glances at his watch, trying to throw the guy a hint. 'Give me the freaking whatever you came to give and get the hell out of here.'  
  
Carden is desperately trying to find something to pull out of his briefcase when the phone rings.  
  
Ryan excuses himself to go answer it and Carden blows out a huge sigh of relief.  
  
"Hello?" Ed hears Ryan ask. Silence, then a reserved, "That's good news, right? Can I come see Seth now?"  
  
Carden inches his way towards where Ryan is speaking on the phone.  
  
"Well when can I come?" Ryan implores into the phone. The boy nods to himself. "Ok, I understand. But I can see him tonight, right?" Whatever answer the teen gets seems to appease him and Carden notices Ryan's entire stance relax. A quick smile flashes and then disappears. The boy races his fingers through his hair. "Thanks Kirsten. Thanks for calling."  
  
Carden hopes that the kid will just hang up, forget to mention his presence. But no such luck.  
  
Ryan spies the man in the dining room and adds, "Oh, tell Sandy that his friend from work stopped by with..." Ryan's still not sure what the guy did stop by with. He turns to the man, "What was your name again?"  
  
Ed takes a step towards Ryan. He's trying not to panic. All he wanted was a quick interaction with the kid. Just meet him, get a feel of whether or not this boy could really be his son. Make sure he could leave California knowing Ryan is safe with the Cohen family. Now he's second-guessing himself. He shouldn't have come. This was a huge mistake. He points to the phone. "Is Sandy there? Can I speak with him a second?"  
  
Ryan shrugs. He asks into the receiver, "Is Sandy around? The guy wants to talk to him."  
  
Ed takes a few more steps, accepts the phone from Ryan, and steels his nerves. He holds his breath and listens for Cohen's voice.  
  
Sandy comes on the line. "Hello? Ryan? Kirsten said somebody from the office is there?"  
  
"Uh, no," Carden responds, "It's Ed Carden, Sandy."  
  
Dead Air.  
  
Then Sandy explodes, "What in the hell are you doing in my home Ed?"  
  
Carden winces; he smiles up at Ryan, praying the kid didn't overhear Cohen's shouting. "Uh, well Sandy. We got cut off so quickly at the office, I wanted to..."  
  
Sandy interrupts him. "Does Ryan know? Did you tell him anything?"  
  
Carden looks around the house. He wishes Ryan would give him some privacy, but the kid has no obvious reason to leave the room. He's just standing there, curiously watching Ed stumble his way through the phone conversation.  
  
"No Sandy, I just got here." Ed nods at Ryan. Smiles.  
  
"Well get the hell out." Sandy demands. "This isn't the way to go about things Ed. This isn't fair to Ryan. You have no right to be doing this."  
  
Ryan is getting anxious. What the hell is taking so long? He wants this guy out of the house. Kirsten told him to call a cab and come to the hospital in an hour. He wants to get back upstairs and pack Seth a bag; be with Kirsten and Sandy. See for himself that Seth is ok. Feel like a part of their family instead of the kid they let hang out to dry by the phone all day.  
  
That damn guy is still smiling at him.  
  
Carden tries to save the situation. He didn't come here to cause trouble. He turns his back to Ryan, cups the receiver with his hand, hunches over and whispers into the phone, "I'm leaving, all right?"  
  
"Damn straight," Sandy confirms angrily. "Do not, I repeat do NOT say a word to Ryan. I'll call you tomorrow and we'll try to figure out how to salvage this train wreck you've created."  
  
Carden turns back around and raises his voice, smiles again at Ryan. "Ok, well, sounds good Sandy. I look forward to your call tomorrow."  
  
"Please, just get the hell out of my house," Sandy replies tersely.  
  
"Bye now," Ed effuses with false cheerfulness. He hangs up.  
  
"I'm sorry," he apologizes to Ryan, "Did you need to talk to them anymore?"  
  
Ryan shakes his head no. "You should go now," he tells Carden. "I have to go to the hospital."  
  
"Uh ...right." Ed absolutely agrees. He should most certainly should be getting the hell out of dodge immediately. He starts walking to the front door.  
  
Ryan follows him asking, "What was I supposed to give Sandy?"  
  
"Oh," Carden stops abruptly. "I uh, just realized I forgot it. Sorry. I'm such an idiot."  
  
Ryan silently agrees. This guy is a dork. Sandy should have stuck with the D.A.'s office.  
  
Ed opens the front door. He knows he should leave. Cohen told him to leave. He should most definitely leave. Right. Now.  
  
Instead he turns to Ryan. "Do you drive? How are you getting to the hospital?"  
  
"I have my license but there's no cars left," Ryan replies. "I'm calling a cab."  
  
"Nonsense," Carden refutes. "I'll drive you."  
  
Ryan considers his options. Sure the guy is a bore, but he seems harmless enough. Sandy knows him. He probably feels bad about Seth, wants to help. What the hell, it'll be more comfortable than a taxi.  
  
"Ok," Ryan shrugs. "I uh, just have to grab a couple of things."  
  
Carden smiles, "Cool, I'll go wait in the car."  
  
------------------------------------------------  
  
Ryan heads upstairs, trying to decide what else he should pack for Seth.  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
Ed gets into the rental, wondering what in the hell he is doing.  
  
------------------------------------------------  
  
Across town at HOAG, Sandy's nervous system is developing a miserable pattern. It freezes up. Sandy takes a quick breath. Gets control. Proceeds. "Kirsten..."  
  
She is looking at him like he beat the family dog to death.  
  
Kirsten only heard Sandy's side of the bizarre phone conversation but it's enough to let her know there's something going on she has no knowledge of.  
  
"Sandy," she takes a hold of his arm, her face a mixture of confusion and fear. "What in the hell was that all about? Who's that man in the house with Ryan?"  
  
Sandy Cohen takes a cue from Seth's doctor.  
  
"Honey, let's have a seat. We should talk."  
  
-----------------------------------------------  
  
To Be Continued 


	9. Thursday Afternoon Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: The OC and its characters belong to someone with much more money than me.  
  
Author's note: Real life has been so demanding. Ok, that's my excuse for not posting sooner. But I know it's a poor one at best, so I offer a very sincere sorry. I appreciate everyone's patience. Nod of thanks to Liz for beta duties. I re-wrote this 5 times since she beta'd, so any errors are all mine. (Hanging head down.) And a shout out to a certain someone who suggested more Ed/Ryan to spice this chapter up.  
  
Last but not least, as always, many, many thanks to all who read and all who review. I still can't believe anyone is reading this, let alone taking the time to type!  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Ryan snaps his seatbelt in place and arranges the bag he brought for Seth at the bottom of his feet. A few CDs fall out of the stuffed bag onto the car's floor and Ryan shoves them back in. He notices the Hertz sticker on the glove compartment door.  
  
"Why do you have a rental car?" He asks Ed.  
  
"Um..." Carden hesitates, "Mine's in the shop."  
  
"Oh," Ryan shrugs a response, "Sorry."  
  
"I'm not that familiar with Newport," Ed confesses. "Do you think you could get us to the hospital?"  
  
"Sure," Ryan's answer is barely audible. He points which way Carden should go.  
  
Ed turns a corner and stops at a red light.  
  
Ryan looks out the window.  
  
Carden throws out a random question. "So...do you like school?"  
  
Ryan ignores the question, continues to look outside, into the growing darkness. Ed tries again.  
  
"So Ryan, do you like school?"  
  
"Huh?" the teenager asks dully.  
  
Ed watches the light turn green, proceeds slowly forward. "I asked if you like school."  
  
Ryan looks at him, shrugs, and turns back to the windshield.  
  
"Do you like Newport?" Carden tries another approach, anything to get the kid to talk.  
  
"Turn right," Ryan answers.  
  
Ed gives it one more try. "I mean what a great house does Sandy have, huh? You must love it."  
  
Ryan looks at his watch. "Can I turn on the radio?"  
  
"Sure," Carden agrees happily. "What kind of music do you like?"  
  
"Anything," the kid answers, flips on the radio and turns back to the window.  
  
Ed gets the hint, shuts up, and drives.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Kirsten is staring at him, waiting for answers. Sandy has no idea where to begin.  
  
"Sandy, who were you talking to? Who was that man, in our home, with Ryan?"  
  
Sandy leans back in his chair, cups his hand over his mouth, settles it on his chin. "That's...a little complicated honey."  
  
"Ryan said he was a friend of yours from work."  
  
Sandy nods yes but says, "Yep, that was a lie."  
  
"Ryan's lying?" Kirsten asks, confusion evident in her voice.  
  
"Nope." Sandy leans forwards, puts his elbows on his thighs. "The guy's not from work. He lied to Ryan, probably so Ryan would let him into the house."  
  
Kirsten is getting frustrated. She wants information. "So some stranger is in our home with Ryan who thinks he's a friend of yours from work."  
  
Sandy drops his head. "Yeah, basically."  
  
Kirsten stands up quickly, digs her phone out of her purse.  
  
Sandy looks up, "What are you doing?" he asks.  
  
"What the hell do you think I'm doing Sandy? I'm calling Ryan. Is this guy dangerous? Aren't you the least bit concerned? Who is he? Why is he in our house? What did you mean by 'Don't say a word to Ryan'?"  
  
Sandy reaches for his wife's arm. "Kirsten, put down the phone a second, just calm down, and let's talk about this."  
  
"Talk about WHAT Sandy?" Kirsten voice is gaining volume. "You're not telling me anything!"  
  
Sandy's thankful they are alone in the small waiting room. He looks up at Kirsten, defeated. He's just so damn tired of this day.  
  
"Sandy," his wife prods, "What is going on?"  
  
"Dawn called the office today."  
  
Kirsten stares at him. "What did she want?"  
  
Sandy considers the question. "Well...it's not so much what she wanted... as what she had already said. And to whom she said it."  
  
Her irritation growing, Kirsten shakes her head. "Sandy I swear to God, if you don't tell me right now what in the hell is going on..."  
  
"Kirsten. The guy with Ryan is most likely his biological father."  
  
"Russell?" Kirsten asks confused. "I thought he was in prison."  
  
Sandy looks up at his wife, traps her eyes, and speaks slowly. "Russell is in prison Kirsten."  
  
"I don't understand," Kirsten comments, dazed, sits back down next to Sandy. "I thought you said Ryan was with his father."  
  
"Honey," Sandy starts, "I don't even know where to begin explaining..."  
  
"Just say it Sandy," Kirsten snaps.  
  
Sandy gives up trying to find a tactful approach, takes a deep breath and turns to his wife. "The guy's name is Ed Carden. He and Dawn had an affair years ago. He came to California to track Dawn down and she springs on him that Ryan is his son. Today...she tells him this. So this afternoon he comes to my office, looking for, I don't know, answers, I guess. The guy's in shock Kirsten. He just found out he has a kid by a woman he hasn't seen in almost two decades."  
  
Kirsten is dumbfounded. What the hell is Sandy talking about?  
  
"Sandy! What? You just believe Dawn? Just like that? This guy could want to extort money from us. He and Dawn could be working together. This is nuts. You just believe her, him?" She holds out her hands to her husband, waiting for a response. "Sandy! Hello?"  
  
He shakes his head, "You weren't there Kirsten. You didn't meet him. Ryan has his eyes, his mannerisms. He showed me a picture of his eight-year old. The kid looks like Ryan's twin. We'll do the tests, whatever. But I'm telling you right now there is no way in hell this guy isn't Ryan's biological father."  
  
Kirsten stands up and begins pacing. "I don't believe this. I don't believe you Sandy. What? How long have you known about this? How long were you going to wait to tell me? How long are you going to wait to tell Ryan?"  
  
"Kirsten," Sandy gets up, tries to calm her. "Be reasonable, for Christ's sake. I just found out this afternoon. He was in my office when you called about Seth. What was I supposed to do? Dump all this on you while you were driving to HOAG? Fill you in while we waited for the results of that goddamn spinal tap? When exactly was I supposed to tell you Kirsten? While you were sitting in our son's hospital room, watching his temperature rise? Be reasonable."  
  
Kirsten has had a long day, most of which she has spent either feeling out of control, panicked or helpless. Reasonable is not really a priority at this moment.  
  
"I'm sorry Sandy, did you just ask ME to be reasonable? I'm not the one who ignored phone messages for two hours. I'm not the one who was sitting in a car instead of by his son's bed while strangers jabbed a goddamn needle into his back. I think the last thing you need to do is accuse me of being is unreasonable."  
  
Sandy throws his hands up in the air. "Well thank God we got that out in the open. This isn't about Ryan at all. You're pissed at me for not being with you and Seth. How do you think I feel Kirsten? Do you think I enjoy seeing Seth like this and knowing there is absolutely nothing I can do to help him? If I'd had known what was happening..." Sandy stops abruptly, tries to articulate his frustration. "I didn't know what was happening Kirsten. I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to deal with this all by yourself."  
  
Kirsten has waited half a day for this apology. But now that she has it, it's meaningless. She's not really mad at her husband; she's impossibly frustrated with the situation. One of her sons is sick and the other, alone, accessible to a stranger.  
  
"Sandy. Ryan should be here. I want him here right now. I need to know he's safe. I can't deal with anything else right now."  
  
Her husband nods. "Ryan should be on his way. I'm sure everything is fine..."  
  
"I'm calling him." Kirsten decides. "Maybe he's having trouble getting a cab."  
  
Her hands shake as punches Ryan's number into the cell phone.  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
"Are we getting close to the hospital?" Ed asks.  
  
Ryan nods, answers the question with a reserved, "Yes."  
  
Carden is beginning to wonder if this kid can possibly be related to him. Josh and Brad never shut up. Ryan's lack of verbal communication is unsettling to Ed, feeding his guilt and paranoia over even having the boy in his car in the first place. The hospital can't be more than a few minutes away. Hoping that Ryan will open up a little, Ed attempts one more avenue of conversation.  
  
"Is Seth doing better? What did they tell you at the house, on the phone?"  
  
Ryan stops leaning on the window, sits up a bit, shoots Ed a side-glance, replies quietly, "He doesn't have meningitis."  
  
Carden smiles, raises his voice above the radio, "Well, that's wonderful news, right? I mean you must be relieved to have found that out."  
  
Ryan nods, "Yeah. Um, they don't know what's wrong. He's still sick. But they're gonna let me see him, so..."  
  
"So he must be getting better, right?" Ed turns off the radio, hopes he sounds optimistic and not ridiculously cheerful.  
  
Ryan answers with a short, "Yeah, probably," and turns back towards the window, pointing for Ed to turn left.  
  
Carden takes the corner, sees a street sign for HOAG, and realizes he has less than two miles to be with the teenager. Ed wants more interaction, so he takes a chance. The kid can't be this quiet all the time, maybe he just needs a nudge.  
  
"It's ok to be upset Ryan. It's perfectly normal to be concerned about a friend. And Seth's more than a friend, right? He's your foster brother. So if you're sitting in my car worrying that someone might think you are a whip for being emotional..."  
  
"I don't care what people think," Ryan interrupts. "I don't give a shit what people think."  
  
Despite the growing tension in Ryan's voice, Ed senses a vulnerability to the youth. He gently offers, "That works most of the time kid, but take it from me, you need to give a shit about a few people. And no matter what you may think about yourself, you do, or you wouldn't be in this car sitting on pins and needles waiting to get to the hospital."  
  
Ryan brushes at his bangs, scratches the side of his face, looks down at the floor and then up at Ed. Carden sneaks a glimpse of Ryan before returning his eyes to the road.  
  
"Let a few people in Ryan. Make sure you always have room to give a shit about a few. And allow a few people to give a shit about you."  
  
Ryan listens, opens his mouth to respond but is silenced by the ringing of his cell phone.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Suddenly Kirsten's desperate to find Ryan. Clutching the cell phone, she holds her breath, waiting for him to answer. On the third ring, he does.  
  
"Ryan? Thank God. Where are you?"  
  
Ryan replies with his usual reserve, as few words as possible to convey a message; he's on his way to the hospital.  
  
"Did you have any trouble getting a cab?" Kirsten questions, struggling to make herself sound normal.  
  
"Uh, no," Ryan answers hesitantly, "Sandy's friend from work is giving me a ride. He said it was no problem."  
  
Kirsten's breath catches; she throws a startled look at Sandy, says into the phone, "Ryan, listen to me, this is important. Where are you?"  
  
"I'm on my way to HOAG," he repeats.  
  
"No!" Kirsten interjects into the phone, "Ryan, listen to me, look around you, are you absolutely sure you know where you are? Are you sure you are actually on the way to the hospital?"  
  
She can feel his confusion through the phone. He probably thinks she's nuts. Sandy moves closer to the conversation. Mouths a silent 'What?'  
  
"Kirsten, yeah, I told you, I'm on my way to HOAG. It's cool; we're like two blocks away. I'll see you in a few minutes. Ok?" Ryan hangs up.  
  
Kirsten looks at the phone. "Sandy, he's with him. Ryan's with that man, he says he's giving him a ride here."  
  
"That's it." Sandy reaches for his own phone. "I'm calling the police. Ed has no legal right to be near Ryan."  
  
Kirsten puts her hand back on her forehead. Maybe she's getting whatever Seth has. Her head feels like it's going to explode. "No. Just... hang on. Ryan said they're almost here. I don't think he suspects anything. He sounded ...fine, given everything that's going on."  
  
Sandy grabs his jacket. "I'm waiting outside. If they're not here in five minutes I'm contacting the police."  
  
"Mr. and Mrs. Cohen?" A nurse pokes her head in the waiting room, interrupts gently, "Your son's awake, he's asking for you."  
  
"Go," Sandy tells Kirsten. "Go to Seth. I'll wait outside for Ryan."  
  
Kirsten looks towards Seth's room, back again at Sandy.  
  
"Everything's fine Kirsten," Sandy tries again to reassure his wife. "Ed's not dangerous, just confused. I'm sure Ryan's not in any harm. I'll go meet them, bring Ryan here. When things calm down, the three of us will sit down...talk."  
  
Kirsten remains hesitant but nods, begins the trek to Seth's hospital room.  
  
Sandy reaches the end of the isolation corridor, gains access to the regular emergency room area and slams his way out of the hospital, into the cooling California night, just in time to see Ed Carden's rental car pull up.  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
To Be Continued...quickly...I promise 


	10. Thursday Afternoon Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: The OC and its characters belong to someone with much more money than me.  
  
Author's Note: I still have readers. Yeah! I was concerned maybe a few of you had given up on me. I don't deserve all of you. Move closer now, group hug. Well, it's somebody's birthday. Yes, AA, I'm talking to you, so, happy birthday. A short and not so sweet chapter, well, there's a little sweet, but it's a lot of short. Whatever. Hi Liz, I know you tried to beta, but I keep changing things. Sorry. I'm hopeless.  
  
As always, thanks for reading!  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Inside Seth's hospital room, Kirsten fumbles with the ill-fitting hospital gown. The teenager doesn't have meningitis but the doctor is concerned about protecting Seth from visitors. She adjusts the gown again, looks up as a nurse enters Seth's hospital room.  
  
Kirsten spies the woman's nametag. It reads Kelly. This is the same nurse that has been with the Cohens all late afternoon and into the night, smiling at them, offering words of encouragement. But this is the first time Kirsten has bothered to figure out the woman's name.  
  
"Well," Kelly greets Kirsten with a grin that is barely visible above the mask she is wearing. "I have some good news and some not so good news."  
  
Kirsten looks at the woman apprehensively, "Good news?"  
  
"Seth's temperature is down. He's holding at 104.2."  
  
Kirsten shivers. 104.2 sounds like something a chicken should be cooked at, not a number to be considered a positive sign.  
  
Rubbing her forehead Kirsten tentatively asks, "Not so good news?"  
  
"Well, with the Tordal keeping his headache at bay, Seth's been complaining about his throat more. It was red and slightly inflamed when he was admitted, but there's some swelling in his lymph nodes that has developed."  
  
"I thought Dr. Holbrith ruled out strep?" Kirsten asks.  
  
Kelly shrugs, "Well, strep is not the only cause of a sore throat. Could be several things. I've informed Doctor Holbrith of the latest development. She's not available, so she's sending Doctor Hughes up from pediatrics. He's one of the best ENT doctors in Orange County. Put tubes in my own son's ear just a few months ago."  
  
Kirsten casts a worried glance over at Seth. "You said he was asking for me?"  
  
"Yes," Kelly pipes in cheerfully. "I think he's still partially awake. You know, you have a very funny kid," the nurse says, laughing to herself. "Seth asked me if he could take his IV home with him, something about summertime and Tahiti. Said I had to run it by you first, although he did sound fairly confident he could fit it into the car." Kelly wrinkles her eyebrows, makes a sad, puppy-dog face and puts a hand over her heart. "He's so sweet. He told me my ice chips are the best he's ever tasted."  
  
Kirsten offers a shy smile and a slight nod to the woman, has a seat next to Seth, and thanks the nurse for everything. She rubs Seth's arm. When he opens his eyes and blinks with confusion at her, Kirsten resists the urge to give him a kiss. Seth is sixteen. Sick or not, there is absolutely no public display of affection allowed. Besides, the mask makes that kind of contact impossible, reminding Kirsten that absolutely nothing about this situation is ordinary.  
  
"Hi," she smiles at him, and waits while he manages to dig his way out of a drowsy haze. "So Seth, tell me again about your theory, everyone overreacting huh?"  
  
"Yeah," he agrees, his voice so much lower than normal, scratchy. "That...may have been a slight under-reaction on my part."  
  
Silence.  
  
Kirsten fills the moment with memories of a smiling, hyperactive child, a shock of unruly black hair, pudgy hands, trusting smiles.  
  
"Hey mom," her son brings her back to the present. "I still feel wobbly, but in a good way now. IV drugs...maybe not so bad."  
  
Kirsten places her hand on the boy's hair, rubs his cheek. She's getting away with a lot of touchy feely; he's too tired to mass a defense.  
  
"Do you understand what's happening to you, Seth?"  
  
He nods slightly, closes his eyes, and snuggles into her hand. "I think so. I'm still sick but not big needle sick. Maybe huge Q-Tip sick."  
  
Kirsten couldn't have said it better herself.  
  
"I love you Seth."  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Sandy is normally cool headed, even keeled. Right now? He wants to pull Carden out of the car and shove his face into the pavement.  
  
Ryan opens the passenger side door and climbs out of the car. He seems surprised to see his foster father waiting outside for him.  
  
"Everything okay, Sandy? Seth's alright?"  
  
Sandy tries to keep his temper in check and Ryan at ease.  
  
"Yep. I needed to get some fresh air. Everything's good." Sandy looks across Ryan, into the car. Ed Carden is watching him and Ryan, guilt written across his face.  
  
"Let's go Ryan," Sandy motions towards the emergency room entrance.  
  
Ryan bends down, grabs the bag he packed for Seth, notices Ed staring at him.  
  
"Thanks for ride, man," the teen offers. "I hope your car gets fixed." Ryan hesitates, maintains his eye contact with Ed. "Thanks again...for everything."  
  
Sandy raises his voice, "Come on Ryan."  
  
Ryan stands upright, looks doubtfully at Sandy. Something's not right; maybe Seth is worse than the Cohens let on. Sandy's acting weird.  
  
"Go inside Ryan. I'll finish thanking Ed. Check in at the admissions desk, they'll show you where to go."  
  
Sandy makes his way to Ryan, senses the boy's uncertainty, reaches up, puts his hand on the side of Ryan's face, physically forces the teenager to focus on him. "It's been one hell of a day Ryan. Kirsten's worried about you, so am I. Go on in, I'll see you inside." He pats the boy on the back.  
  
Confused by Sandy admission, Ryan clarifies, "You're worried about Seth, right? I'm fine. Why would you or Kirsten be worried about me?"  
  
Sandy clears his throat. "Worried was a poor choice of words Ryan. We just missed you. I'm glad you're here. Kirsten is too. She's with Seth right now, go on in, I'll catch up with you." Sandy pats Ryan on the back again, smiles, and nervously runs his fingers through his hair.  
  
Ryan adjusts the bag on his shoulder, nods and shuffles towards the emergency room entrance, throwing several glances backwards at the two men as he makes his way into the hospital.  
  
Sandy waits until Ryan enters the building and then walks the rest of the way to Ed Carden's car. He puts his hand on the rim of the roof and leans into the passenger side.  
  
Trapped, Carden tries preemptive measures, "Mr. Cohen, Sandy, look, I'm sorry. I know I stepped way out of bounds here. I tried to stay in my hotel room, really I did, but I couldn't stop thinking about him. I had to make sure he was okay. You're a father..." Carden implores of Sandy, "You have to know what it feels like, what I'm going through. I couldn't leave California not knowing if he was all right, not knowing if he was truly safe."  
  
Sandy's not in a forgiving mood. Dead wife or not, Dawn's bombshell aside, Sandy's main concern is Ryan, and this guy needs to understand that right now. He keeps his voice low, in control, but speaks with a careful deliberateness.  
  
"You had no right to do this Ed. I promised you I would call you in the morning. I've got a sick kid in the emergency room; a kid that Ryan cares a hell of a lot about. My family, including Ryan, does not need to be dealing with this tonight. Did you even consider Ryan's needs? Do you have any idea what my wife and I just went through, knowing you were there, in our home, talking to him, alone? We're miles away, and you're saying God knows what to Ryan. Too far for Kirsten and I to intercede if he needs us?"  
  
Carden stammers, tries to interrupt Sandy with a further explanation but Sandy's not having any of it.  
  
"No, I'm not done yet. Ed. And when I am, you are going to go back to your hotel room, get yourself under control, and wait for my phone call in the morning. I don't want you anywhere near Ryan again until we all know what exactly we are dealing with. This kid has gone through enough, spent enough of his life being at the mercy of adults who can't keep his best interests at heart. I'm sorry if Dawn screwed you over. If it turns out that Ryan is really your son, it's awful that she kept him from you. But this kid is my responsibility, and biological father or not, I'll be damned if you are going to destroy what little stability my family and I have managed to bring into Ryan's life."  
  
"Sandy?"  
  
The lawyer hears his name, spins around.  
  
Ryan is standing there. Looking at him, part bewilderment, part betrayal.  
  
From inside the car, Ed Carden issues a quiet, "Oh God," and starts to get out of the vehicle.  
  
Sandy moves toward his foster son. Reaching out, he tries to make contact with Ryan but the boy side steps him, keeps his eyes on Sandy, and walks backwards to the open passenger door of the car.  
  
Ryan's voice is monotone, "I dropped one of Seth's CDs."  
  
The boy reaches into the rental awkwardly, his body still facing Sandy, grabs the errant cartridge, keeps a close watch of Sandy from the corner of his eye.  
  
"Ryan," Sandy says softly, "Come here, it's ok. Let me explain all of this."  
  
Carden slowly eases himself out of the rental, closes his door, leans over the roof of the car, watches Ryan watching Sandy.  
  
The boy folds his arms over his stomach, backs away from both men, his eyes darting between them.  
  
"Ryan," Sandy tries again, his voice a subtle plea, "Please ...come here."  
  
Outside the hospital entrance, Ryan Atwood is made of concrete.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
To Be Continued...da da da da... 


	11. Thursday Afternoon Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer: The OC belongs to someone who makes much more money than I do.  
  
Author's Note: Can my head fit into this post? Maybe not. It has swelled to gigantic proportions after I read all my reviews. Unbelievable. I say it every time, but I really didn't expect anyone to be reading this story. Thanks guys!!! You are all awesome. I'm just SO ashamed of my months of lurking and not reviewing. I'm going to go back and review every single story I enjoyed.  
  
Shout out to my beta Liz. I changed the chapter a bunch-o-times since she beta'd. All mistakes are mine. Wink to my mystery reader who suggested a little more in the middle. Your suggestions have been applied.  
  
Triple XXX everyone for reading.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Seth has nodded off again. Kirsten convinces herself that he's doing better. There's less activity in the room, and the hospital staff seems less frenzied. The nurse, Kelly, tells Kirsten that a nasty strain of the flu has been going around. HOAG admitted two people yesterday. Sure they were both in their eighties, but the flu is funny. Seth could have already had a minor cold, his immune system compromised. Kirsten knows that the woman is trying to make her feel better. And she wants to buy into the flu theory, really she does. But she's still scared. It's unnatural for Seth to be this still, quiet, subservient.  
  
Kelly has just finished recording Seth's latest round of vitals. On her way to leave the hospital room she asks Kirsten, "Is Seth your only child?"  
  
"Yes," Kirsten answers without thinking, then quickly modifies her answer, "Uh, no actually, Sandy and I just recently took in a foster son. He's Seth's age." She hopes the nurse can't see the guilt Kirsten's feeling over her initial response.  
  
"Good for you!" Kelly replies with enthusiasm. "Taking in a teenager is a very selfless act."  
  
Her words only add to Kirsten's self-reproach. The Cohens have their own reasons for allowing Ryan to live with them. It's not all about noble sacrifice.  
  
Kirsten rushes out the next sentence. "Do you think Seth will be asleep very long?"  
  
Kelly nods, "Probably. A fever does that, plus with the Tordal, his body is relaxing. It's going to want to sleep more than anything."  
  
"I need to leave for a few minutes," Kirsten tells the nurse. "My husband went to meet our foster...our other son. I'm going to go check on them. Seth will be okay, right?"  
  
Kelly steps back in the room slightly, "Absolutely. I'll keep a close eye on him." She winks at Kirsten.  
  
Grateful for the woman's kindness, Kirsten issues a soft thank you, and exits the hospital room. She hurries down the hallway in search of Ryan and Sandy.  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
Ryan's only sixteen.  
  
There's a limited amount of past experience he can fall back on. His mom runs or drinks when she is overwhelmed, stressed. His dad...well he can't really remember his dad's reactions. Just glimpses of anger and regret. Trey? No real layers there. Ryan doubts that Trey even acknowledges emotions. His brother simply shifts attitudes upon impact.  
  
Ryan's not stupid.  
  
He understands what he wasn't supposed to overhear. He's just not sure what to do about it. His family's coping tree doesn't harbor roots this deep. He feels lifeless, incapable of a reaction.  
  
"Ryan?"  
  
The teen hears his name called and turns his head towards the source, his eyes cast down but somehow managing to still see everything. Ed Carden is slothing his way towards Ryan, the man's right hand held up in a 'just hold on' gesture.  
  
As Ed gets closer, Ryan backs up a little more, looks towards Sandy but issues a murmured, solid warning in Carden's direction, "Stay away from me."  
  
Ed flinches but Sandy remains impassive, unreadable, and silent.  
  
Ryan stiffens his jaw, draws heavy breaths, his eyes boring into Sandy.  
  
Ed stops moving but continues to try and communicate with the boy. "Ryan, I'm not sure what you think you heard, but this is all my fault. Please, go with Sandy, I'm sure you're upset about Seth. Go, see him. We'll all talk later. I made a huge mistake tonight. I understand that now. I don't want you hurt in all this." Carden waits for Ryan to make some kind of an acknowledgement of his words, but nothing happens. Ryan is frozen, eyes still locked with Sandy's.  
  
Carden moves back to his car, opens the drivers side door. "I think I should go now. Ryan, please, just... you need to go with Sandy."  
  
"Fuck you," Ryan snaps at Carden, glares at Sandy, flips Seth's bag off his shoulder to the ground, pointing at it.  
  
"That's full of Seth's stuff," he mutters to Sandy, "Tell him I'll be by later."  
  
Ryan turns his back to the two men and walks away.  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
Seth is dreaming.  
  
He's happy, content. The ocean is a cool blue, waves winking at him.  
  
Nothing is wrong.  
  
The sun is setting in the sky, a burst of orange, the rays a last strong warmth of a beautiful day.  
  
Seth leans over and hands Summer a drink, touches her hand.  
  
Corona beer can kiss his ass. This is the perfect commercial.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Ed hovers above the driver's seat, one leg in his car, the other planted firmly on the HOAG emergency lane. His mouth hanging open, Carden watches Ryan walk into the night.  
  
Sandy wearily picks up the bag that Ryan has deposited, puts it on his shoulder, and takes care to tuck in a few items that have become dislodged and are threatening to fall out of the bag.  
  
Ryan is getting further and further away.  
  
From across his rental, Carden looks at Sandy. "Should we do something?" Ed asks helplessly. He barely pauses before adding, "We should go stop him, right? Should we go stop him?"  
  
Sandy lets out a disgusted laugh, raises his head to the sky. "I'm sorry Ed, did you just ask me for advice?"  
  
Carden remains silent.  
  
Sandy laughs again. "Because if you just asked me advice? You can go to hell."  
  
Ed lowers his head. Ryan is almost out of view.  
  
"I mean," Sandy continues, "That if you are truly concerned about Ryan's well being, this is maybe not the way to go about showing it."  
  
"I'm sorry," Ed says, attempting to convey his regret.  
  
"I thought we had an understanding," Sandy counters. "At my office, in the elevator. I thought we agreed, for Ryan's sake, to take this slow Ed. I thought I could trust you."  
  
Carden doesn't know what to say. There is nothing to say.  
  
"Just go away," Sandy tells him. "I'll take care of this. Just leave."  
  
Ed raises his head and looks at Sandy. "I never meant for this to happen," he tells the lawyer. "I...this is not what I wanted. I just...I wanted to see him."  
  
Sandy walks over to the rental, puts his hand on the still open passenger side door. "I'll call you in the morning Ed." He slams the door shut.  
  
Carden begins to ease himself into his vehicle and then stops, stands back up, affirms to Sandy, "This is not what I wanted. I'm so sorry."  
  
Sandy doesn't answer. He hears Carden close the driver seat door, start the car's engine, drive away.  
  
Sandy looks out in the parking lot.  
  
Ryan is gone.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
As the emergency room exit gets closer, Kirsten feels herself moving faster and faster. She hits the automatic door button, quickly departures the first set of doors and runs smack into Sandy.  
  
She spots the bag in her husband's hand, looks around - where's Ryan?  
  
"Sandy?" she leads. "Where is he?"  
  
Sandy runs his fingers through his hair. Sets the bag down on the ground. "He overheard Carden and I talking. I'm sorry Kirsten; I thought he had come inside. I'm tired. I'm not using my head. It was unbelievable stupid of me."  
  
Kirsten's face drops, registers the shock of Sandy's words.  
  
"Where is he?" She repeats, her words fueled by mounting panic, "Where's Ryan? Did he go with that man?"  
  
Sandy shakes his head slowly, "No. He walked away."  
  
Kirsten's face sinks into more disbelief. "And you just let him?"  
  
"What was I supposed to do Kirsten? You know as well as I that Ryan's not the type of kid that you force anything on. At least he didn't go ballistic. He said he'd be back. He wants space Kirsten; we have to give it to him. We have to trust Ryan to come back on his own."  
  
Kirsten shakes her head and walks past Sandy to the last two set of doors that lead out of the hospital.  
  
"Honey," Sandy turns, calls after her, "Kirsten, where are you going?"  
  
She stops in the archway. "We are talking about a sixteen-year-old child Sandy, where do you think I'm going? Maybe you're comfortable with giving him space but I can't do that. I'll call you when I find him."  
  
As his wife disappears into the hospital parking lot, Sandy wearily picks up the bag and makes his way back to Seth's room.  
  
Sandy's not comfortable with any of this.  
  
He's just the one left holding the bag.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
To Be Continued  
  
"She did NOT just end the chapter with that cheesy line!" Oh...but I think I did. Couldn't resist. Next chapter Friday night, I promise. muchtvs 


	12. Thursday Afternoon Chapter 12

Disclaimer: The OC belongs to someone with much more money than me.  
  
Author's note: I played with this chapter for a long time. Still doesn't feel right, but it's time to move on. I actually broke it up into two smaller ones. So you get two chapters tonight.  
  
Thanks for the readin' and reviewin'. Y'all are so sweet. And thank you Liz for the hyper betaing. Have a good weekend everyone.  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter Twelve  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
It's a fairly windy night and Ryan's having trouble lighting his cigarette. His hands are shaking like some fucking pansy and that's not aiding his semi-addiction. He crouches down, cups his hand, and tries unsuccessfully to light the cigarette a fourth time.  
  
Shit! Freakin' wind.  
  
He stands up and drop-kicks the lighter, balls up the cigarette, throws it frustrated into the breeze. His hands are empty now, so he uses them to push his hair up on both sides of his head, the palms of his hands pressed tightly against his skull.  
  
And he just stands there for a minute, in yet another gorgeous California night. 

------------------------------------------  
  
Sandy peeks his head in Seth's room. The nurse is replacing the IV bag. Sandy has absolutely no idea what they are putting into Seth's body. He just trusts the hospital to do the right thing, the doctors to know what that is.  
  
He has no choice but to do so.  
  
Seth is sleeping peacefully. He's even managed to turn over to his side slightly. Sandy knows he can't use his cell phone in Seth's room, and the kid is out cold, so he quietly closes his son's door and ambles into the lounge to await Kirsten's call.  
  
Collapsing in a chair, Sandy sits stunned and tries to come to grips with what happened in the parking lot. He hasn't seen Ryan look that vulnerable or confused since the very early days, back when Dawn was playing musical parenting.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Ryan has managed to find a fairly secluded area, grassy hill, a few small picnic tables near the side of the building, most likely for workers. Considering this is a hospital, the grounds of HOAG are quiet. Shit, there are more sirens at night in Chino then there are at the damn hospital in Newport. He needs noise to processes the commotion in his head. He could run, but run where? Running was useless unless you had a specific destination.  
  
There's a tree right next to him and he gives in to a sudden urge to kick it several times in succession.  
  
Shit! That hurt.  
  
Kicking the tree's not helping. Running is not going to help. The fucking cigarette could have helped.  
  
Ryan sits down on the grass, pulls his knees to his chest, folds his arms on them, lays his head down, and tries to think.  
  
He knows what he heard. He knows what he saw. Sandy and that guy were talking as if the guy was somehow his father. That couldn't be possible.  
  
In the past, before Newport, his mom got pissed off at him every other day. No way could she keep something like this to herself. She would have hurled it at him like a missile on one of the nights she was drunk and scrounging for a victim. She would have screamed it at his father during one of her tirades, after his dad came home stoned and his mom claimed she had had enough of his dad's shit. God knows she was always yelling at his dad. Even if Ryan was too young and too stupid to pick up on any comments concerning his parentage, Trey would have, and he would have teased Ryan mercilessly with it.  
  
Oh God, Trey. If Russell wasn't his dad, Trey was only half his brother.  
  
What was left of his family melted away a little more each day.  
  
Pretty soon Ryan would have to tell people he was hatched at sixteen. How can an entire childhood not matter?  
  
Maybe he hadn't heard correctly. Maybe this wasn't happening. This only happened in soap operas or those stupid talk shows Dawn likes to watch.  
  
The easy night breeze is sending a chill up Ryan's spine. He pulls his legs in closer, wraps his arms around his body tighter.  
  
Jesus - he's going to start crying. Can't have that. Where's the tree?  
  
He could beat the crap out of it.  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Kirsten is amazed at just how big a hospital can be. She's been outside for ten minutes with absolutely no sign of Ryan or the end of the damn hospital grounds. To hell with this, Ryan has youth in his favor. She's not going to catch him. She reaches for her phone. It seems too simple of an answer, but Ryan's different. When Seth is mad at her, she may as well take the battery out of her phone. But Ryan is a mystery. It might be worth a shot. The phone rings several times but no one answers. Kirsten flips it shut and looks across the parking lot. Ryan could be anywhere by now.  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Ryan's cell phone starts to ring. He ignores it, stands up, swats at the grass on his jeans, squeezes his fists, and struggles to hold on to his emotions.  
  
One tear escapes. He angrily swipes at it with his forearm.  
  
One tear doesn't count.  
  
That's not crying.  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Kirsten's walks a few feet and decides to try the phone again. It's most likely useless, but it's better than returning to Seth's room empty-handed. It's better than giving up on Ryan.  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Ryan's cell phone rings again. He snatches it out of his pocket, ready to reduce it's fate to that of the lighter. Kirsten's number is displayed. He was ready to punt Sandy, but Kirsten? Hadn't expected that. Does she know about the guy in the car? Or did Sandy forget to tell her too? No way did she know this morning. She wasn't nervous around him.  
  
Seth is sick and Kirsten's taking time to call him. Ryan can't disrespect her; he owes her more than that.  
  
But what the hell, the call has served a purpose. Ryan's eyes are drying up, he has something to concentrate on, someone who might need him for something.  
  
Only one tear, that's not crying.  
  
Not even in Chino.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Ed Carden is banging the steering wheel with his hand, over and over and over again.  
  
It still doesn't hurt.  
  
God, how could he be so stupid? Go to some stranger's home, invite yourself in, take advantage of a sick kid's plight to carry out an ill-conceived agenda? Has he left every last one of his morals in the mid-west, on the goddamn dresser, next to his wedding picture? Wasn't bad enough he created the situation, but then he left Sandy Cohen in the hospital parking lot to deal with the aftermath.  
  
What a jerk. Ed's sure Ryan will be thrilled to be his son. Sleeping with a married woman, allowing her to be beat, getting her pregnant, not sticking around long enough to find out, coming back after seventeen years, crying in a stranger's office, conniving to trap a teenager in a car, driving away when reality becomes too messy.  
  
Hell, who wouldn't want that as a dad?  
  
Ed's hand is numb. He's ashamed to fly home to the two boys he already knows love him.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Her heart skips a beat when Kirsten hears Ryan answer the phone. He doesn't say hello, but Kirsten can hear breathing, sense he is there, listening. She has one chance to make Ryan understand how very badly she just needs him to be with her.  
  
"Ryan?" Nothing from the other end of the phone, but at least no click.  
  
"Ryan? I'm outside. I want you to meet me and I want us to go together to see Seth. I want you to do that for me Ryan. Can you do that for me?" Kirsten's playing on Ryan's weakness and she knows it's wrong. But she's desperate to see him, confirm that he hasn't run, hasn't left them.  
  
Still no response, but he's hanging on the line.  
  
"Ryan," Kirsten continues. "I told you tonight that I should have called sooner, that I would never leave you out of the loop again. Well I'm calling. I'm keeping my promise."  
  
Ryan clears his throat and answers, "I just want to see Seth...I don't want to see anybody else."  
  
Kirsten intuitively understands he's not referring to her. "That's perfectly understandable Ryan. I'll meet you at the emergency entrance, we'll go in together, I'll keep everyone away. Do you trust me to do this Ryan?"  
  
Ryan doesn't even trust himself not to run the opposite direction of the hospital, but he responds with a muted, "Yes."  
  
Kirsten doesn't want to push him too far. She's getting lucky, she knows that. So instead of saying she loves him, and thank God he's not halfway to Chino she replies, "Thank you Ryan. Your trust means a lot to me. I'll see you in a few minutes." She hangs up; hoping like hell she can be worthy of the last thing Ryan has left to give away. 

--------------------------------------------

To Be Continued......Actually right now! Click on Chapter 13.


	13. Thursday Afternoon Chapter 13

-------------------------------- 

Disclaimer: Please see Chapter 12, or 11, or....you get the picture.  
  
Author's note: Got a little medical; which can be boring, a little Sandy; which is always a good thing, a lot a Kirsten; which is a mom thing, and some Ryan angst; which is a lot a hard thing to write considering he has the emotional output of a block of wood. (I'm not saying the boy doesn't have emotions, I'm just saying they are hard to write.....right. Got it? I don't either...it's ok.) Oh, and Seth fans, he's in here too. He's asleep, but at least he's here.  
  
Liz beta'd but I changed it, so all mistakes are mine.  
  
Thanks for reading!  
  
-------------------------------- 

Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter 13  


--------------------------------

  
  
Sandy sits in silence. He's fairly sure that Seth is the only one in the isolation wing tonight. There's been no competition for the waiting room. He watches an older gentleman whom he presumes is a doctor, enter the isolation entrance and stop at the nurses' station. The man leans over the counter, talks to a nurse. In response, the nurse nods and points at Sandy. The man glances in Sandy's direction and proceeds to walk over to him. The lawyer stands in anticipation, rubs his hands along the sides of his pants. God, if the feeling in the pit of his stomach is anything like what Kirsten felt this afternoon, it's no wonder she's so angry and pissed off. As the guy gets closer, Sandy practices taking deep breaths, tells himself, 'Everything's fine. Seth is fine. It's the flu.'  
  
"Hi," the gentleman extends his hand, "Mr. Cohen?"  
  
Sandy nods, takes the man's hand, "Sandy Cohen."  
  
"Mr. Cohen, my name is Doctor Hughes. My normal stomping ground is pediatrics but we are a bit short handed tonight and Doctor Holbrith is unavailable at the moment, she asked me to come up and examine Seth."  
  
Sandy nods, "Ok. Do you need me to sign something?"  
  
The doctor laughs slightly, "No, that's okay. But it's good to see that Admissions has you so well trained. Actually, I have some test results to review with you, then you are welcome to accompany me to Seth's room." The doctor looks around the waiting room, sees it's empty, points to a chair and asks Sandy, "Let's have a seat, shall we?"  
  
Sandy runs his fingers through his hair, sits down and suspiciously eyes the folder in Doctor Hughes hands.  
  
"Right, so," begins the doctor, opening his folder, "Do you want specific details or the bottom line."  
  
"Oh God," Sandy sighs wearily, "Please just the bottom line. What is going on with my kid?"  
  
Doctor Hughes smiles at Sandy's honesty. The guy looks completely worm out. "Well Mr. Cohen, the blood work is indicating mononucleosis."  
  
"Mono?" Sandy clarifies.  
  
"Yes," Hughes nods, "Mono. I need to examine Seth, check for some tell tale signs. He's really not following the proper order of presenting symptoms, we would have rather had the sore throat and lymphatic swelling prior to the fever and headache, but from what I understand he's heading there now, so..."  
  
Sandy takes a few more deep breaths. "Seth's never been a conformist."  
  
"I do need to inform you Mr. Cohen that the actual test for mononucleosis, a monospot test, isn't reliable until Seth has consistent symptoms for a week or so. We tested Seth's blood for two antibodies that are present in the early stages of mono, with positive results. In rare cases, the presence of these antibodies, along with several of the symptoms your son is presenting could signify a more serious illness, but I don't see any indication at this time that we need to go there." The doctor watches Sandy's body relax slightly. He adds, "Of course Mr. Cohen, I'm obligated to rule on the side of caution, so for now, Doctor Holbrith and I are comfortable with saying that Seth is most likely infected with the mononucleosis virus, but further testing will be necessary before a diagnosis can be confirmed. How was that, too bottom line? Would you like more information on the test results? I can go into further detail after I've examined Seth."  
  
Sandy's brain is glazing over. The bottom line is fine. If Kirsten wants more information he'll support her. But right now, the doctor has told Sandy all he needs to know. Barring a catastrophic blow of bad luck, Seth is going to be all right.  
  
The two men stand up and begin the trek to Seth's room.  
  
"Do you have any other kids?" the doctor asks as they walk.  
  
"Um, yes," Sandy answers. "We have another teenage son."  
  
The doctor nods and grimaces "Do they uh, ever share drinks?"  
  
Sandy stops walking and rubs his forehead. He gets it. Yikes. Come to think of it, Seth took a sip of his Starbucks Tuesday morning.  
  
"I, uh, I'm not sure about the boys. Seth took a drink of my coffee a couple of days ago."  
  
The doctor turns to Sandy as they reach Seth's door. "It's extremely rare for adults to develop mono Mr. Cohen. Chances are you've already been exposed to it many times throughout your lifetime. But your other son..."  
  
Oh yeah, Sandy definitely gets it. What could be more fun than Seth with mono? That would be a pissed off, emotionally aloof Ryan with mono. Yeah, that'll be fun.  
  
"I'll talk to Ryan," Sandy assures the doctor.  
  
The two men enter Seth's hospital room. 

-----------------------------------------  
  
Kirsten slow jogs all the way to the entrance, but Ryan has still beaten her there. He's leaning against the side of the hospital, arms wrapped tightly around his mid-section, eyes cast downward.  
  
He's made it this far. She's so proud of him.  
  
There are a million things she could say, or should say, or needs to say. But as she approaches Ryan, Kirsten only sees a kid that could use a hug. Hugs are few and far between with Ryan, and Kirsten doesn't want to scare him off. Instead she reaches for his arm, gives it a pat, and says, "Let's go see Seth, okay?"  
  
Ryan nods.  
  
"And when you want to Ryan, when you're done visiting Seth, the three of us, Sandy, myself and you? We are going to sit down and talk about what happened tonight. It's important that we do this."  
  
Ryan's head is still down; arms wrapped tightly, no nod this time.  
  
"Well," Kirsten modifies her original plan, "We'll just go see Seth and take it one step at a time from there."  
  
This meets with the boy's approval. He walks into the emergency room, stepping aside so Kirsten can lead. She signs them into the isolation area, obtains a sticker badge for Ryan, waits patiently while he puts it on his shirt.  
  
Kirsten reaches for the large button on the wall that will activate the isolation room doors, but something stops her. Ryan is behind her, several feet away. More distance than usual, more distance than necessary.  
  
"Ryan," she says softly.  
  
He fidgets with the sticker, rearranges it on his shirt.  
  
"Ryan." Kirsten says his just a little bit louder.  
  
He gives up on the sticker, looks up at Kirsten.  
  
She holds out an arm, motioning for him.  
  
Ryan hesitates, shifts his head slightly. Kirsten realizes that he's not sure what she wants him to do. The few feet separating them are quickly covered and Kirsten swallows the fears she had outside. God, this kid needs a hug. She extents her hand, touches the back of his head, guides it onto her shoulder. His stands stiff but tolerates the gesture.  
  
Ryan's arms stay plastered at his side.  
  
--------------------------------------------- 

Ryan rests his head on his foster mother's shoulder, blinks several times and stares at the featureless hospital walls. If this is what Kirsten needs to do, he'll let her.  
  
Whatever.  
  
Kirsten pats him on the back and he assumes that's the signal that hug is over. They separate and Ryan watches silently as Kirsten hits the big button on the wall.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Sandy is in the corner, allowing Seth some privacy as the doctor examines him. "Kelly," Sandy hears Hughes say, "I need a little more light here." The nurse goes to the doctor's side.  
  
Sandy realizes that he is still lugging the bag around that Ryan gave him. He eases the bag off his shoulder, puts it down where no one will step on it.  
  
The doctor is having trouble keeping Seth awake. Sandy listens as Doctor Hughes encourages Seth to answer a few questions. When the boy replies with quiet, one word answers, Sandy feels hollow. This isn't his Seth. Sandy wants his son back.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
As they enter through the isolation doors, Kirsten looks for her husband in the lounge but doesn't see him.  
  
Ryan follows Kirsten past the waiting room. He's keeping his head down and Kirsten is keeping her promise. There's no sign of Sandy or that guy. Just before they pass out of sight of the waiting area, Ryan casts a quick glance behind his shoulder. He doesn't spot Sandy and relief surges through the teenager. Ryan can't stand the thought of discussing anything right now, of trying to comprehend why Sandy knew something so important and didn't bother to tell him.  
  
Kirsten stops at the nurses' station and is informed that her husband and a doctor are in with Seth. The room is small and Kirsten knows she shouldn't interrupt an exam. "Come on Ryan," she gently urges, "We'll go wait for a few minutes until they're done."  
  
Kirsten settles Ryan into a chair, wanders over to a vending machine, buys a Coke, and hands it to Ryan. He issues a quiet thank you before unscrewing the lid and taking a sip. Kirsten sits down next to him and tries to break the uneasy silence.  
  
"Seth is going to be so happy to see you Ryan. He's sleeping through Sandy and my visits but I bet he wakes up for you."  
  
Ryan sets the bottle next to his chair, keeps his head down and picks at his cuticles.  
  
Kirsten scans her mind for what in the world can possibly be the approach she should be taking with Ryan right now. Talking at him without getting answered isn't working. She leans over and puts her hand on his thigh.  
  
"Sandy cares about you Ryan. Whatever happened today, however things got so out of control tonight, I can guarantee you that Sandy's only concern right now is you and Seth. And I don't know what's going through your head but please, remember that nothing is more important to Sandy than his family. That includes you Ryan, all right? Sandy would never purposefully hurt you."  
  
Ryan studies his thumb. He shifts his head slightly, looking up and fixing on something. Kirsten notices what has captured the boy's attention. Sandy and a doctor are walking towards them.  
  
Sandy avoids Ryan, goes directly to Kirsten and introduces Doctor Hughes to her. Hughes repeats the test results to Kirsten and Ryan, explaining in a little more detail the blood test results. Kirsten asks several questions concerning the severity of mononucleosis, which Hughes patiently fields. He likes these parents. They have easiness to them combined with evident education. As the conversation winds down, Doctor Hughes turns to Ryan.  
  
"You must be the brother."  
  
Ryan avoids the man's eyes, looks up in the air, and eventually settles on a patented 'Ryan Atwood corner stare'. If the doctor is sensing any tension in the room, he doesn't show it.  
  
"I'm a little concerned that you may have been exposed to the mono virus simply because you live in the same house. Have you shared any drinks with Seth lately? Eating utensils? Anything along those lines?"  
  
Ryan shrugs.  
  
Sandy starts to say something but Kirsten puts her hand on his arm. "Ryan, you need to answer Doctor Hughes. He's taking this time with us to make sure no one else is at risk."  
  
Ryan responds, "I don't remember sharing anything with him, but Seth is all over the place. He could have taken a sip of something of mine. I don't know. He stole my bowl of ice cream last week, but he never gave it back."  
  
The doctor laughs, "We'll you're probably happy about that now. Huh?"  
  
The doctor turns back to Sandy and Kirsten. "You need to keep an eye on Ryan. Seth's onset of mono has been rare in that the fever hit so suddenly. Usually full-blown mono is preceded by days of cold or flu like symptoms, lethargicness. If you see any signs like this, go ahead and take Ryan in to your doctor as a precaution."  
  
Kirsten nods an understanding. Sandy watches Ryan. Ryan studies the carpet.  
  
Now that he has all three family members in the same room, Doctor Hughes has a few more questions for the Cohens. "Seth didn't complain at all about being tired, feeling sick, headaches? Nothing before this morning?"  
  
Kirsten and Sandy pause a moment before both answering no. Sandy wonders out loud if Seth hasn't been a little quieter than usual. Ryan lifts his head slightly and makes minimal eye contact with the doctor before responding, "He's been tired. And then two days ago he started complaining about being achy. He's been falling asleep early. He told me last night that he felt goofy, not right."  
  
Kirsten looks at Sandy. She clears her throat before asking, "Ryan, why didn't he say something? He usually takes out an ad in the paper when he isn't feeling well."  
  
Ryan shrugs. "He had that comic book signing coming up today, and a party tonight he was really looking forward to. He didn't want to blow going to either of them." The teen lifts his head and Kirsten can see a look of guilt plastered on his face. "I'm sorry Kirsten. I thought he was just tired. I didn't know he was sick. When he woke up this morning, and something was obviously wrong, I made him tell you. I'm sorry I didn't say something sooner."  
  
Doctor Hughes stands up. "I doubt that saying anything would have resulted in things playing out any differently Ryan. I wouldn't beat yourself up over it."  
  
Ryan goes back to studying the carpet.  
  
"So, this is where we stand. Mono is a virus, in other words, generally antibiotics are not prescribed. Once we get Seth's temperature down and he is no longer displaying symptoms of dehydration, we can discuss discharging him. In the mean time, his belly is a little tender. I've ordered a CAT- scan to see if his spleen is enlarged, which is a fairly common symptom of mononucleosis. I'll explain things more as we go along."  
  
Sandy wants Doctor Hughes to just... stop... talking. What happened to the bottom line? The spleen wasn't part of the bottom line before. The discharging talk was a step in the right direction; enlarged spleen, maybe not so much.  
  
Doctor Hughes shakes Kirsten and Sandy's hands. To the man's credit, he fishes for and manages to captures Ryan's hand as well. Kirsten is pleased as she hears Ryan murmur to Hughes, "Thanks for taking care of Seth."  
  
Sandy is reminded of what an amazing kid his foster son is. Ryan has every reason in the world to be anywhere other than in the same room as him, but yet, here the kid is, thanking Seth's doctor, supporting Kirsten, waiting to see Seth. He should extend an olive branch to Ryan, leave the room and avoid a scene. Ryan's obviously not ready to talk.  
  
Sandy tells Kirsten, "I'm going to go call Caleb and my mother. Let them know what's going on." He adds before leaving the room, "Thank you Ryan, for coming back." Sandy doesn't expect an answer and isn't surprised when one doesn't come. He exits the isolation area, hoping that his wife will understand his reasons for leaving.  
  
Kirsten takes Ryan by the arm and gently steers him towards Seth's room. Doctor Hughes mentioned that the gown, mask and gloves are no longer necessary. Kirsten's thankful. She gently eases the door open to Seth's room. Her son is fast asleep. She resists the urge to enter the room and park herself next to Seth. This is Ryan's time. God knows he's earned it. She squeezes his arm and tells him to meet her in the waiting room when he is done.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
Ryan glances over his shoulder monitoring Kirsten's retreat. He hesitantly walks into the room. Seth is alone, the room dark with the exception of one soft light in the corner. "Seth?" Ryan mutters. He doesn't want to startle his foster brother. But it's obvious that Seth is in no danger of being awoken suddenly, he's in a deep sleep.  
  
The sick boy is curled up on his side, cheeks red, his hair a frenzied mass. The equipment attached to Seth makes Ryan uneasy and hesitates before finding a chair and sitting down next to the hospital bed.  
  
The room is as quiet as Seth's bedroom was, but the lack of noise isn't the same.  
  
This place has Seth, and his presence has an immediate effect on Ryan.  
  
The boy takes several deep breaths, clenches his fists, and then relaxes. It took everything Ryan had to walk back into the hospital and keep it together in the waiting room.  
  
But the crisis has passed. Ryan's in control again. He sits back and watches his friend breathe.  
  
Real life can wait for him behind Seth's closed hospital door.  
  
This whole shitty afternoon and night, this is all Ryan wanted.  
  
He just wanted to be with Seth.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
To Be Continued.... 


	14. Thursday Afternoon Chapter 14

Disclaimer: The OC is owned by people who make much more money than I do.  
  
Author's note: I am hoping to make-up for my delayed updates by posting two chapters at a time. That works for you guys...right? (Crouching in corner.) Note to Z: nope, but I can see how you might think it. So, how do I keep thanking everyone for the amazing reviews without sounding redundant? I can't because the first word that jumps into my head is thanks, which I keep using over and over. But please know that appreciate the reviews so much.  
  
Chapter 14 is long, 15 short. Thanks for reading! (Hi Liz, nice beta.) (Hi person I e-mail my story to and bug for feedback. Thank you.)  
  
-----------------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
-----------------------------------------------  
  
Seth's body is floating. Not spinning this time, just floating. Seth is used to the difference by now. Spinning is bad; it means dizzy, falling. Floating is good; it means drugs, flying. Pharmaceutical, completely legal drugs, mind you. So this is guilt-free floating. He's not contributing to the dictatorship of any third world drug lords.  
  
Floating is not as scary as spinning, so Seth takes a gamble and raises one eyelid.  
  
No nausea. Floating is way better than spinning.  
  
He's lying on his side, sort of; so one eye is sufficient enough for him to take in his surroundings. Things are clearing up a little. He remembers this room. He's in the hospital. The other times when he woke up, it took a little while to recall where he was.  
  
Ok, so the first few times it took some effort to recall who he was.  
  
The open eye zeroes in on someone hunched over in a chair next to his bed, head down.  
  
Ryan.  
  
Seth's throat is so dry he's not even sure he can pull off a simple hello. But seeing as how he's floating he manages to say, "That, my friend, is the last sandwich I allow you to make me."  
  
Ryan's head snaps to attention and he sits up, looks over at Seth, and smiles. "I'll get you something to drink."  
  
Seth groans and rolls over on his back. He puts his hand to his head. The headache is much better, but his throat is really burning. Where is that Nurse Kelly and her scrumptious ice chips?  
  
Ryan returns with a cup, which Seth accepts gratefully. He grimaces as he swallows, lays his head back on the pillow and whispers his thanks to Ryan. Seth croaks out, "Ryan, man, tell me we did not miss the party."  
  
"We missed the party."  
  
Seth closes his eyes. "I told you not to tell me."  
  
Ryan chuckles, "Well, it's probably still going on. We could put beer in your IV."  
  
"Ow! Ouch. Your humor at my expense, Ryan Atwood, sucks."  
  
Ryan sits back down, scrutinizes Seth. "Seriously, are you okay man?"  
  
Seth considers the question. "I don't know. It's been a weird day. Like one of those Scooby-Doo montages where everybody is chasing each other through the different doors and groovy music is playing and Shaggy stops, makes a sandwich, takes one bite, and puts the rest of the sandwich in the bad guy's hands, and then keep running. You know what I mean? One of those days."  
  
Ryan has no idea what he means. "I don't know why I even bother to ask, you weren't okay to begin with."  
  
"Well," Seth closes his eyes, "It's been a weird day even by my standards."  
  
He clears his throat, winces. "So, are the parental units outside?"  
  
Ryan nods. "Yeah."  
  
"How are they doing?"  
  
Ryan shifts in his seat. "Uh, they're kind of crazy, you know, it's been a hard afternoon for them."  
  
Seth motions for another drink of water and Ryan immediately gets one. Seth takes several sips and then hands the cup back. As his friend settles back into his chair, Seth notices for the first time that Ryan looks positively sullen. Sure he has smiled but his body is slumping, there's a heaviness to Ryan's presence.  
  
"Are you ok?" Seth asks.  
  
Ryan laughs slightly, "I'm not the one hooked up to an IV."  
  
"I could score you one, seriously man, I have a whole new respect for intravenous fluids. I know, they take a bad rap in the media, but I'm telling you what..." Seth stops talking. Ryan is looking out into space.  
  
"Ryan. Ryan? I'm fine man. The doctor told me it's mono. That's like, two weeks vacation on the couch, nothing but sleeping, and eating and whining. I was made for the mono. I'm all about the mono. In fact, I think I've actually been living the mono lifestyle for a couple of years. The mono and I ...we're like peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, Courtney Love and impulsivity. I'm telling you Ryan, the mono and I are going to get along just fine."  
  
Ryan releases a sad grin, looks down at the floor, and asks doubtfully, "You're all about the mono?"  
  
Seth nods with confidence. "Yes. Yes I am. By day three you'll be envious of me and the mono's relationship. Dragging your sorry ass to school everyday. By day four, you'll be wishing for the mono."  
  
Ryan shakes his head, "I don't think so."  
  
Seth can barely keep his eyes open but he doesn't want to go to sleep until Ryan's mood is lifted. "I'm fine Ryan, really, it's ok. The whole fever thing..." Seth whirls his hands around, "I'm just an overachiever. It's a curse. Seriously, I'll be home tomorrow."  
  
Seth yawns, his eyes slide shut. "Ryan, talk to me brother, I sense unrelated mono morose."  
  
Ryan sits back in his chair. Seth is fighting the good fight but he won't be able to stay awake much longer.  
  
"Is it Marissa?" Seth asks, his voice fading.  
  
"No, don't worry about it Seth, it's just my family. Something came up. Something really screwy is going down right now."  
  
Seth manages to peel open one eye, raise an eyebrow and throw a disbelieving look at Ryan.  
  
"Ok," Ryan concedes, "Screwed up even by my standards."  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Sandy returns from his phone calls. Kirsten is sipping a horrible cup of coffee procured from the eight-hour old pot located at the nurses' station.  
  
Sandy sits down next to his wife, informs Kirsten that his mother is threatening to fly out from the Bronx and her father has already fueled up the jet. He tried to ease both grandparents' fears, but Seth being involved always ups the ante. Sandy closes his eyes and leans back in his chair. He can make as many phone calls as he wants but nothing is distracting the lawyer from Ryan. He can't stop worrying about him.  
  
"Kirsten, did Ryan say anything to you, while you two were outside? Does he hate me?" Sandy questions his wife. "Do you hate me?" He pauses, and then adds, "He hates me. He wouldn't even look at me."  
  
Kirsten rubs her forehead. "Sandy, I'm so tired right now, I don't have enough energy to hate anyone or anything."  
  
Sandy is silent.  
  
Kirsten leans her head on his shoulder. Sandy immediately reaches for her hair, engulfs her head, holds her close.  
  
"Nobody hates you Sandy. I don't know if it's even possible to hate you."  
  
Sandy kisses the top of his wife's head, rests his cheek against her hair. "You should have seen his face in the parking lot Kirsten. I never thought I'd be responsible for Ryan looking like that."  
  
"You didn't create the situation Sandy. Give Ryan some time, he'll come to the same conclusion."  
  
Sandy wants to believe her. He looks down the hallway. Ryan has been with Seth for almost an hour. "You know, he's not going to come out of that room tonight. He's going to hole up in there."  
  
"God," Kirsten answers flatly, "Who would blame him?"  
  
Something about her delivery strikes Sandy as funny and suddenly he's laughing so hard he has to release Kirsten. He stands up, still laughing, holding his side, and leaning over.  
  
"Holy shit." He declares. "What kind of day has this day been?"  
  
Kirsten sits up straight in her chair, alert. Sandy's laughter is bordering on hysterics.  
  
"I mean," he continues, "I'm not even sure what the hell happened today. I woke up, I surfed, I ate a bagel, I went to work. I left the house with two kids safely sleeping. What the hell even happened today?" Sandy holds his arms out in a question. Just as quickly as the laughing started, it stops. Sandy looks helplessly at his wife, his eyes slightly watery.  
  
"Seth is all right Sandy, and Ryan doesn't hate you," Kirsten assures him. Reaching out, she takes a hold of her husband's hand. He sits down again next to her, looks the opposite direction at the barren hospital wall, and tries to trick himself into believing her words.  
  
--------------------------------------------

Seth is struggling to stay awake. He's rambled on as much as his throat will allow him.  
  
The fever is continuing to make him loopy and he's having trouble concentrating. He emits a humongous yawn that tears painfully at his throat and asks Ryan, "Hey, come on, Ryan, talk to me. What's going on?"  
  
Ryan looks up at Seth with an open mouth, almost says something, fills his cheeks with air, and blows out a sigh.  
  
Seth yawns again, looks expectantly at Ryan with heavy eyes.  
  
"Go to sleep Seth," Ryan tells him. "We'll talk when you wake up. I promise."  
  
Seth turns to his side. "You're gonna stick around?"  
  
Ryan shrugs, "I already missed the party. What the hell."  
  
Seth grins and snuggles into his blanket.  
  
Ryan reaches for the bag he packed to retrieve his iPod. Before he can adjust the earphones, Seth is asleep.  
  
------------------------------------------------

Kirsten stands up, throws her coffee cup away. The caffeine has energized her, temporarily pushing exhaustion over to the side. Sandy has been quiet since his small outburst. He seems lost in his own thoughts. Glancing at her watch, Kirsten realizes that Ryan has been with Seth for over an hour. She's been patient. Now it's her turn to see Seth. Ryan can stay in the room, but Kirsten needs to spend some time with her sick son. She suspects that a little time with the healthy one wouldn't hurt either.  
  
"Well, wish me luck," she tells her husband. "I'm going in."  
  
"I've been thinking," Sandy says, "The hospital probably has a counselor on call. Maybe we should handle this situation professionally."  
  
Kirsten raises her eyebrows at him and replies, "I think you need some sleep."  
  
Sandy nods in resignation, "Yeah, you're right. That wouldn't go over so well." He combs his fingers through his hair. "I dropped the ball on that one though," he confesses. "I should have hooked Ryan up with a counselor the minute I heard his mother screaming at him outside of Juvie. I could have. I've done it in the past with kids. But something about Ryan stopped me. I think maybe I was concerned forcing therapy on Ryan might have made things worse."  
  
Kirsten is still standing, her visit with Seth temporarily halted. As long as Sandy is being brutally honest, she might as well join in on the act. "He doesn't have normal reactions Sandy. Tonight...it's just...he's just so..." she searches for a word, "I don't know...cold, removed. I've never seen a kid calculate their emotions like Ryan does. It seems unnatural. The few things he's confided about his childhood, I have trouble even listening to. I see some progress with him socially, but emotionally...I'm not sure we've helped him at all." She looks at Sandy, waits for him to comment.  
  
"When this is over, and Seth is home, we'll sit Ryan down and talk about the possibility of his seeing someone."  
  
"And until then?" Kirsten asks.  
  
Sandy shrugs, "We wing it."

-----------------------------------------

Ed Carden manages to drive back to the hotel and lets himself into his room. It's two hours later in Illinois, almost too late to call anyone. But Carol isn't anyone; she's his older sister, and his best friend.  
  
On the fifth ring Carol answers.  
  
"Ed, what the hell? It's late. You may have woken up the kids."  
  
Ed apologizes and Carol immediately senses that all is not well with her brother. "What's going on Ed, are you still in California?"  
  
Carden replies yes and then asks, "Carol, how would you feel about me staying a few more days."  
  
Carol doesn't need to think about it. "Tuesday is Brad's birthday Ed."  
  
"I know," he sighs.  
  
"And I thought you told me your leave was up Sunday. Can you even arrange additional days off?"  
  
Ed rubs his forehead with his free hand, "I don't know Carol, I could try."  
  
"Did you find her Ed? Did you find Dawn? Is that why you want to stay?" Carol is the only one other than Sandy Cohen who knows about Dawn, who understands why he had to come to California in the first place.  
  
"Yes I found Dawn. But she's not the reason I want to stay. I can't get into that right now. I'll tell you more when I get home. I just need you to keep the boys for a few more days."  
  
He can hear Carol taking deep breaths. He knows what that means. His sister is getting angry.  
  
"Nope, sorry baby brother. I'm not keeping them past Sunday. Maybe you can call mom and dad and ask them to take care of the kids for you. Dad can explain to Brad why his father can't be here on his ninth birthday, the first one he's had without his mother. You need to come back Ed. You need to be back Sunday, on time, with a goddamn fake smile plastered on your face. I don't know what's going on in California, but get the hell on a plane and back here. I know these past few months have been a living hell, but you and Sara sacrificed too damn much to make a family for these boys. I won't be a part of your neglecting them. Get on the plane Ed, come home, come home and start living your life again, if nothing else, for your boys."  
  
Carden doesn't answer her.  
  
"I'm only saying these things because I love you Ed. And I loved Sara and the good lord knows I would do anything for Josh and Brad."  
  
Ed swallows back his frustration, attempts to keep his voice calm and steady. "You're right Carol. I shouldn't have even asked. I wasn't thinking straight."  
  
"Are you at your hotel Ed? You sound exhausted. Get some sleep. We all miss you."  
  
"I will," he promises. "I'm going to bed right now. I'm sorry I called so late."  
  
"I love you Ed," she tells him, her voice much softer.  
  
"I love you too sis, kiss the boys for me."  
  
He wearily turns off the lights in his hotel room and stares into the dark, beginning the wait for Sandy Cohen's promised morning phone call.

---------------------------------------

Kelly enters Seth's hospital room and smiles to herself. The boy's brother is sitting next to him, arranging some teenage paraphernalia on the small table located next to the bed.  
  
"Hi," she waves quietly, "Still here huh? I see Seth has passed out again." When Ryan doesn't offer a reply, Kelly points to the items he is removing from the bag and says, "Your brother is probably going to change rooms in the morning."  
  
Ryan stops unpacking.  
  
"Listen," Kelly continues, "Seth's going up for a CAT-scan in a few minutes. If you want to grab something to eat or drink, I'll find you when he's done."  
  
Ryan shakes his head no, "That's ok. I'll wait here. Thanks"  
  
A male orderly with a clipboard and a gurney knocks and then comes into the room.  
  
Ryan stands up as Kelly and the orderly rearrange things on Seth's bed, transferring the IV bag from the bed hook to the gurney. Seth doesn't stir as Kelly removes several items from his body. The transactions completed, Kelly gently wakes up Seth and uses a soothing voice to encourage him to slide onto the gurney. Seth is still half asleep, exhausted and unsteady. Ryan intervenes, helps to more or less lift Seth onto the new bed.  
  
Seth shivers and announces to no one in particular, "I'm cold." The orderly reaches for the blanket on Seth's hospital bed but Ryan beats him to it, places the blanket on Seth, and pats the boy's shoulder.  
  
"Thanks Ryan," Seth mutters, then adds, "You're always there for me man."  
  
Ryan steps awkwardly out of the way as the orderly shifts the gurney, preparing to leave the room.  
  
"You're staying all night, right Ryan?" Seth asks sleepily. "Is that ok?"  
  
"Yeah," Ryan answers, "Sure, absolutely."  
  
"Good," Seth responds, pulls his blanket up, "Tell mom and dad to go home, get some sleep."  
  
As Seth is wheeled out, Ryan picks up his chair and retreats into a corner of the room.  
  
With everyone gone, the hospital room is dead silent, leaving Ryan alone with his thoughts.  
  
He wonders how many alarms would go off if he lit up a cigarette.

------------------------------------------

An unfamiliar nurse finds the Cohens standing in the waiting room, tells them that Seth will be gone for a while with the CAT-Scan.  
  
"Are there visiting hours here?" Kirsten asks. "Do we have to leave? This is all new to us."  
  
"Well, Seth is a minor." The nurse answers, "You and your husband can stay."  
  
Sandy and Kirsten look at each other. What about Ryan?  
  
The nurse notices the glances the couple is exchanging. "Your other son is eighteen. Right?" Her voice is leading; she is shaking her head up and down in an exaggerated nod.  
  
Sandy catches on quick. This woman is a lifesaver. "Yes!" he agrees. "Ryan is most definitely eighteen." Kirsten throws him a side-glance. He squeezes her hand.  
  
"Ok," the nurse smiles, "That settles it. You can all stay. But Doctor Hughes ordered a light sedative for Seth when he comes back from the CAT- Scan. One or two of you might want to go home, he's probably going to sleep through the night."  
  
Sandy avoids the suggestion, thanks the woman for all her help. When she returns to the nurses' station, Sandy says to Kirsten, "Seth's gone. Do you think Ryan's coming out of that room?"  
  
Kirsten sighs lethargically but issues a solid, "No."  
  
"Well," Sandy shrugs, "I guess I'm going to him then."  
  
"You can't do that Sandy," Kirsten protests, "I promised Ryan that I'd keep everyone away."  
  
"Everyone as in ......me?" Sandy asks.  
  
"Yes," she agrees, "and Ed Carden."  
  
"So I'm in the same category as Ed Carden now."  
  
Kirsten drops her shoulders. Why can't anything be simple today?  
  
"Sandy...Are you or are you not the same person who said one hour ago, and I quote, 'We need to give Ryan some space'?"  
  
He stares at her.  
  
"Space. As in, you're not going in that room Sandy."  
  
"Nothing is going to get resolved unless we talk about it Kirsten," Sandy answers. "I'm going in that room. I don't give a damn if he ignores me or hits me, but like hell I'll sit out here having him wonder if I even care enough to find him and at least attempt to talk things out."  
  
"And you think that the isolation ward at HOAG is the ideal place to have a discussion of this magnitude." Kirsten asks incredulously.  
  
"Well it's a hell of a lot better than the parking lot," Sandy quips. "Let me tell you, I tried that, it didn't work out so well. I wouldn't recommend it. Do you want me to have security escort him to the Range Rover? He and I can take the long way home, I'm sure we'll have the situation resolved by the time we hit the driveway."  
  
"Now you're being ridiculous," Kirsten answers perturbed.  
  
"No," Sandy says shaking his head, "Now I'm being a parent. Why don't you stay here and catch him when he comes barreling out in about..." Sandy checks his watch and shrugs, "I don't know, a minute, minute and a half."  
  
Kirsten folds her arms around her chest and watches Sandy trudge off towards Seth's room.  
  
Nothing is going to be simple today.  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
To be continued....right now, click on chapter 15.


	15. Thursday Afternoon Chapter 15

Disclaimer: The OC belongs to someone with much more money than me.  
  
Author's note: I'll update sooner on next chapter, promise. Thanks for reading.  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon Chapter 15  
  
-------------------------------------------------

Ryan is sitting in the dark. He's turned off all the lights, put the chair back by the bed. Scrunched up in a corner with his iPOD blaring, the teenager is hoping to will himself invisible. If anyone casually glances into the room, they won't see him.  
  
The door opens, emitting a slim stream of light. Ryan sees Sandy peek his head in, look around, then the door closes again.

Ryan's heart beats a little faster.  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
Sandy stands outside the room confused. Maybe Ryan took an emergency exit out. But they are all equipped with sensors. He couldn't have gone to the bathroom; it's located by the waiting room. Sandy notices all the rooms that line the corridor. He's too tired to search every one of them. Besides, hiding in plain sight is more Ryan's modus operandi.

He opens Seth's door again and steps inside.  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
Ryan watches Sandy come all the way into the room and knows he is busted. Where's Kirsten to intercede? She promised to keep everyone away.  
  
"Ryan?" He hears Sandy say his name. "Ryan?" A little louder this time, a little more assertive.  
  
Ryan cranks the volume on his iPOD.  
  
"Ryan!"  
  
Oh yeah, Ryan recognizes that tone in Sandy's voice. The man has brought his ball and bat. It's time to play. Ryan slips the iPOD from his ears, sets it down on the ground next to him.  
  
Sandy turns toward the noise, steps closer to the corner Ryan is in.  
  
"Can we turn a light on please?" Sandy asks into the darkness.  
  
"I'm not doing this here." Ryan answers coldly.  
  
"I'll take that as a yes," Sandy counters with false cheerfulness.  
  
He walks over to the wall and flips the light switch up. The room is instantly illuminated. Sandy sees Ryan's head snap down. He's sitting with his knees pulled up, arms tightly wrapped around his legs. It appears that the boy is attempting to melt into the wall that supports his back.  
  
"Ryan," Sandy walks to the chair sitting beside the bed, turns it towards the corner the teen is camped out in, and sits down. "I'm going to tell you what happened in my office this afternoon. You don't have to say anything, or answer me, or interact in any way. But you are going to sit there and listen."  
  
Ryan clenches his eyes shut.

_Don't do this to me Sandy, he screams in his head. Don't make me kick your ass or say something I can't take back. Just get the fuck out._  
  
Sandy notices Ryan's hands start to ball up, his right fist nervously pounding up and down on his leg. His feet begin twitching. Either Ryan's getting ready for take off or having a seizure. Sandy guesses it's the former and not the latter.  
  
"I was sitting in my office this afternoon Ryan and your mother called."  
  
Ryan's head shoots up. He avoids his foster father's eyes, stares blankly at the wall. "I'm not doing this here Mr. Cohen."  
  
Sandy flinches at Ryan's use of his formal name, recovers and informs Ryan, "Well that's too damn bad Mr. Atwood, because yes you are. So, as I was saying, your mother called today and told me she was sending someone over to speak with me."  
  
Ryan uses his back to slide up against the wall, into a standing position, his voice low, calculated, "I'm not doing this here."  
  
Sandy ignores the teen, continues with his story. "And Ryan, I feel compelled to tell you that she had been drinking. I'm not going to sugar coat any of this. I'm going to be completely honest with you."  
  
Ryan takes a step towards the door but the hospital bed is in his way. If he wants to leave the room, he's going to have to climb over it or go around Sandy.  
  
"Sure enough, a few hours later, a gentleman, by the name of Ed Carden shows up, and...that's where things get really interesting."  
  
Ryan takes another step.  
  
Sandy stands up.  
  
"I think you'd be more comfortable sitting down Ryan," he says and adds, "You're not leaving this room Ryan until you at least do me the courtesy of listening to what I have to say."  
  
"But you're not listening to ME!" Ryan emphasizes the last word, squeezes his fists, and then regains a bit of his composure. He lowers his voice but the anger and frustration that are swirling around him are still obvious. "I told you, I'm not doing this here."  
  
"And I told you Ryan, yes, you are."  
  
The boy breathes heavily, braces himself and swings his head halfway towards Sandy, throws side-glance daggers at the older man.  
  
Sandy picks up the chair, brings it to Ryan, sets it down next to the teenager, and pats the back of it, indicating that Ryan should sit down.  
  
"Believe me Ryan; God knows this isn't the place I would pick either. Hey, don't blame me. This is all Seth's fault. He should be back in 50 minutes or so. We can yell at him then, that's assuming he isn't asleep or sedated." Sandy pats the back of the chair again, walks away a bit, giving Ryan some breathing room.  
  
Sandy points to the chair.  
  
Ryan ignores the gesture.  
  
Sandy marches on. "So, back to the situation at hand. Ed, Mr. Carden, actually Major Carden, Air Force I believe, introduces himself and informs me that he used to live next door to your parents, back in Fresno. Obviously we are discussing a time before you were born Ryan, Trey was a toddler, very early in your parent's marriage. They were young, trying to make it alone."  
  
Ryan lowers his head, shakes it back and forth, and emits a disgusted laugh.  
  
"According to Ed Carden, your mother and father would drink, quite a bit, and fight, quite a bit. And unfortunately, you father began doing some fairly hard-core drugs."  
  
Ryan has had enough. He will not stay in this room and be forced to listen to the hellish events that preceded his own hellish experiences with Dawn and Russell. "I'm leaving," he announces, moves the chair out of his way, advances on Sandy.  
  
"Ryan, sit down," Sandy stands his ground, blocks Ryan's exit out of the room. "Please, just sit and listen to me Ryan."  
  
Having reached Sandy, Ryan tries to take a step to the lawyer's right but Sandy compensates, keeps his position in front of the teen.  
  
Making a quick decision, Sandy moves as close to Ryan as he can without touching the boy, and locks eyes with his foster son. "Where are we taking this Ryan? I don't want this anymore than you do kid."  
  
"Then get the hell out of my way," Ryan warns.  
  
Sandy doesn't budge and Ryan makes a decision of his own. He drops his head, takes a step backwards and then proceeds to shove his guardian aside with every ounce of strength he can muster. Sandy is struck off balance, stumbles backwards but manages to stay upright. Ryan rushes past him, out of the hospital room. By the time Sandy can make it to the door himself, Ryan is halfway down the hallway.  
  
A nurse is leaning over the nursing station, watching the boy stomp down the corridor.  
  
"Ryan!" Sandy calls out, "Ryan do not walk away from me. You're better than this Ryan. We're better than this."  
  
Sandy's voice has summoned Kirsten. She stands at the edge of the waiting room, watching the confrontation unfold. Ryan spots her, stops.  
  
"Ryan," Sandy tries to speak as calmly as possibly, removing all emotion. "I never lied to you Ryan. Seth was sick, Kirsten needed me, and I wasn't going to tell you over the phone. I did the best I could Ryan. I would have told you tonight. You're going to have to trust me on that. I have only ever acted in your best interests."  
  
The boy's not moving and with Ryan's back to him, Sandy can't tell if the teenager is listening to him or plotting how he's going to elude Kirsten. Sandy knows that Ryan would never hurt Kirsten; he's more concerned that the kid will somehow make it past her. They got lucky the first time, coaxing him back from the parking lot. There isn't going to be a second chance, Ryan's too upset.  
  
The nurse is fully engrossed now, viewing the circumstances like a tennis match, her eyes darting back and forth between Sandy and Ryan.  
  
"You don't have to walk out Ryan," Sandy states bluntly, "It's just as easy to stay. All you have to do is turn around."  
  
Ryan glances at Kirsten and then looks over his shoulder at Sandy. The boy has lost most of his momentum. He no longer seems angry, his body more dejection than a promise of violence.  
  
"I pushed you," Ryan says quietly, his voice part remorse, part unstated question.  
  
"No Ryan," Sandy corrects him, "I pushed you. All you did was push back."  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
To be continued.........


	16. Thursday Afternoon Chapter 16

Disclaimer: The OC belongs to someone with much more money than me.  
  
Author's note: See? I updated. I think we should all focus on that fact, not the small matter of the week it took me to complete said update.  
  
The reviews for the last two chapters were amazing. I was so uptight about them, and your kind words reminded me that I started this story for fun. Support is a beautiful thing.  
  
Thanks Liz for a quick beta. I changed a few things, mistakes I readily own up to.  
  
Thanks everyone for reading.  
  
Love it or hate it, here is the next chapter.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Thursday Afternoon  
  
Chapter Sixteen  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Ryan stands in the hospital hallway, sullen, head down.  
  
Kirsten, still observing from the sidelines, is not altogether sure what occurred between the teenager and her husband in Seth's hospital room, but obviously something of significance has. She watches as Sandy navigates the remainder of the corridor to where Ryan remains motionless. He reaches up and places an arm around the boy's right shoulder, pats him on the back, and indicates with a shift of his head that the two of them should walk into the waiting room area. The lawyer barely whispers, "Come on." Ryan accepts Sandy's closeness, doesn't repeal the gesture of affection, walks with Sandy into the lounge and gloomily sits down.  
  
"Were going to get something to drink and then go back to Seth's room alright Ryan?" Sandy tells the teenager. Ryan nods.  
  
Sandy buys three bottles of water, hands one to Kirsten, locks eyes with her and places a second bottle of water in his wife's hands.  
  
Kirsten smiles at her husband and makes her way over to the chair Ryan is sitting in. She holds out the extra bottle to her foster son. "Let's go wait for Seth," she suggests gently.  
  
Ryan grasps the bottle but doesn't take it from her right away. Instead he looks up, maintains eye contact for a moment, and then says timidly, "Thank you."  
  
The three of them walk together to Seth's room.  
  
It's funny, Kirsten thinks to herself, just how many things can be said without actually being said at all.  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
Seth's hospital room is small with only one chair. Sandy settles for the edge of Seth's bed, Ryan the floor in a corner. Kirsten accepts the lone chair after a small protest.  
  
Sandy clears his throat, takes a swig from his water bottle and then asks Ryan, "I'd like to discuss Ed Carden a little bit more, Ryan. Are you comfortable with that?"  
  
Ryan mutters, "Yes." He looks entirely exhausted, beaten down. This isn't what Sandy wants. He doesn't want a submissive, defeated Ryan. Sandy just wants the boy to listen and come to terms with what has happened today and how it might affect his future. He wants Ryan to talk to them, not run away or cope by brooding. If Ryan is to become a permanent member of the Cohen family, he has to learn that Sandy's family supports each other, cares for each other, takes the time to listen and hear what the other is saying.  
  
"Ryan, I'm asking you how you want to handle this? You're smart enough to know that this...situation... isn't going to go away. We have to talk about it. What I'm asking is, are there any parameters, boundaries you want to establish? Anything off-limits that you don't want to discuss?"  
  
Ryan raises his eyebrows and looks at Sandy skeptically, drops his head. Sandy gets the message. Ryan really doesn't want to hear or talk about any of this.  
  
Not to be deterred, Sandy tries a prompt. "For example, in our conversation a few minutes ago, you seemed particularly motivated not to hear about your father's drug use."  
  
Ryan's head pops up. "That," he rushes out, then slows, "I don't want to hear anything about that."  
  
Sandy nods in acknowledgement, "Ok, well, that's not completely necessary to the story, so I suppose we could skip the whole substance abuse thing, fast forward to Ed's relationship with your mother."  
  
"Or that," Ryan jumps in, adds anxiously, "I don't want to hear about that...either."  
  
"Okay," Sandy says slowly, throws a helpless glance in Kirsten's direction. How the hell is he supposed to discuss Ryan's possible parentage without discussing the affair that led up to it?  
  
Kirsten senses her husband's discomfort and takes over. "Ryan, do you just want to know if it is possible that Ed Carden could be your father?"  
  
His head still aimed at the floor, Ryan nods and says softly, "Yes."  
  
Kirsten takes a deep breath and continues. "According to the information that Mr. Carden has provided to Sandy, it's a possibility he may be your biological father. There's only a probability Ryan, absolutely nothing has been proven yet. It's important to keep that in mind. There's no factual proof, just a few things that your mother shared with Mr. Carden today and that he in turn has passed on to Sandy."  
  
Ryan nods an understanding to Kirsten's words but looks up at Sandy, asks with apprehension, "Do you think he is?"  
  
Sandy takes another sip of water. "I think Kirsten's right Ryan; we have to take this whole thing slow, there are several tests we should conduct before we even begin to..."  
  
Ryan interrupts him. "I understand all that. Do you think he could be...?" Ryan falters, searching for the right words, and then finishes with, "Do you think he is?"  
  
Sandy squirms on the side of the hospital bed, shifts his position. "Ryan, give me a break here, I only met the guy for a few minutes this afternoon."  
  
The hospital room is silent, Sandy stares at his water bottle, Ryan at the floor.  
  
"Sandy," Kirsten breaks the silence, "I think what Ryan is asking..."  
  
"I know what he's asking Kirsten," Sandy interjects. "All I'm saying is, it's not an easy question. I don't feel qualified to answer it."  
  
Sandy fixes his eyes on his wife, sees her disapproving look. Of course he has an opinion, he already shared it with her. Yes, he thinks Ed is Ryan's father. He's just not sure how to tell Ryan. He's not even sure if it's his place to do so.  
  
"Sandy," Kirsten urges him, points her head towards Ryan, mouths silently, 'Tell him.'  
  
Ryan seems to sense the unspoken conversation between his guardians. He raises his head, looks expectantly at Sandy. Waits.  
  
Sandy gets off the bed, walks over to Ryan's corner, sits down on the floor next to the boy and sighs.  
  
"Honest opinion? Yeah, I think there's a likelihood he could be your biological father. There are some physical similarities between the two of you. But uh, Carden showed me a picture of one of his kids Ryan, a little boy. I've got to tell you, the resemblance is amazing."  
  
Ryan listens to Sandy's words, absorbs their meaning. "Okay," the teen says quietly, lowers his head, "Thank you."  
  
"Do you have anything else you'd like to discuss Ryan?" Kirsten asks. She's so excited that the teenager is actually communicating with them that it's hard for her not to sound enthusiastic.  
  
Ryan hesitates, and then adds one more question, "You only found out this afternoon right, and you would have told me tonight?"  
  
"Yes," Sandy answers immediately, "Absolutely, I promise. Never, would Kirsten or I have kept something like this from you Ryan, never."  
  
The teen nods, more to himself than anyone else. "Okay."  
  
"So what do we do now?" Kirsten inquires, hoping to bring some normalcy to the situation. Having a plan always helps. Well, at least it helps her.  
  
The three of them sit motionless, considering Kirsten's question as if the fate of the world depends on the answer.  
  
A minute passes before Sandy casually suggests, "We could eat."  
  
Kirsten drops her shoulders and throws a disapproving stare at her husband. He knows damn well that was not what she was asking. It's important that they resolve the next step. Decide how to handle the latest drama foisted on Ryan.  
  
"I could eat," Ryan nods in agreement, his voice still reserved but closer to normal than anything he has said in the last couple of hours.  
  
"Honey," Sandy attempts to beg for forgiveness, "The child is hungry. We already have one hospitalized. Let's not kill this one from lack of nourishment."  
  
Kirsten gives up trying to refocus the conversation. Ryan is talking and conveying an actual need. She'll temporarily settle for food in lieu of meaningful dialogue.  
  
As they exit the hospital room, Ryan pulls away from them and stops in the doorway. He looks uncertainly between the two Cohens.  
  
"Um," he begins, "Seth could come back." Ryan points into the empty room. "I should uh..."  
  
"Ryan," Kirsten intercedes, "Do you want us to bring you back something?"  
  
"Yes, please," he answers, relief evident in his voice. "Anything's fine." He graces them with a quick flash of a smile, "I'll just...go wait for Seth."  
  
He disappears back into Seth's hospital room.  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
Sandy and Kirsten make their way down the corridor in search of the hospital cafeteria.  
  
"That may have been perhaps the most uncomfortable conversation I have ever been a party to," Sandy tells Kirsten.  
  
"Really?" Kirsten teases him. "More uncomfortable than when we told my parents that we getting married?"  
  
"Well," Sandy shrugs.  
  
"More uncomfortable than when Hailey called from a payphone in San Pedro asking you if turning herself over to the cops was better than waiting for a warrant to be issued?"  
  
Sandy starts to devise an answer but pauses, stumped.  
  
"More uncomfortable," Kirsten raises her voice a little, "Than the time that Julie Cooper came over at midnight asking if we had any Vaseline?"  
  
"Oh God," Sandy halts, holds a hand up and recoils from the memory. "Stop... right there. I surrender, you win, I admit it, I've had more uncomfortable conversations."  
  
Kirsten smiles in triumph, swats her husband on the backside, feels a little better for the first time all night.  
  
"I think you handled it magnificently honey," she assures him.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Seth is rolled back into his room and finds Ryan waiting alone, yawning and rubbing his eyes.  
  
After getting settled into his original hospital bed, he greets Ryan with, "Hi. I'm back. Did you miss me? Anything exciting happen while I was gone?"  
  
Ryan stares at Seth, mouth slightly agape.  
  
"What?" Seth urges, "Did something good happen? What'd I miss?"  
  
Ryan shakes his head in an effort to clear the irony of Seth's inquiry out of his brain.  
  
He answers "No, nothing, you missed nothing. Aren't you supposed to be asleep or sedated or something?"  
  
Seth looks at Ryan with guilt. "I threw up all the water you gave me. No pills tonight for me my friend. My new nurse, whom I am referring to as Not- As-Nice-As- Nurse-Kelly, ran off to see if she could hook me up with an intravenous sedative. Evidently she just can't pick one randomly, which, you know, I have to confess I'm a little happy about." Seth leans over and whispers to Ryan, "I don't think she likes me."  
  
"You're paranoid," Ryan whispers back.  
  
"I know you are but what am I?" Seth mocks in return.  
  
Ryan puts his head down and laughs. "God you are so lucky we are in a hospital."  
  
"Oh, scared," Seth retorts.  
  
"And you're surprised the nurse doesn't like you?" Ryan deadpans.  
  
Seth dismisses the dig with a shrug and a "Humph."  
  
The room door opens and Not-Kelly enters. She takes Seth's temperature, informing him that he is continuing to make a slow descent back into the acceptable range. Another few minutes and after more updated vitals, she injects something into Seth's IV and then turns to Ryan, "He's going to be asleep in a few minutes. Are you staying the night? I could bring you a more comfortable chair, one that pulls out, maybe a blanket and a pillow?"  
  
"Yes," Seth jumps in. "He's staying all night, right Ryan?"  
  
"Yeah," Ryan nods in agreement.  
  
The nurse dims the overhead light, informs Ryan she'll be back in a while with more accommodating bedding.  
  
"She likes me." Ryan taunts his friend as the nurse exits the room.  
  
Seth doesn't acknowledge Ryan's comment. He is slowly but surely yielding to the effects of the sedative. Curling up in as tight a ball as his IV will allow, he faces Ryan and asks, "Hey, you promised to tell me what's going on with your family, I mean your Chino family, whatever." He clumsily adds, "Well, you know what I mean."  
  
Ryan fidgets with the remote control attached to Seth's bed. "It's nothing. My mom called Sandy drunk today. Same old shit. I'll tell you more tomorrow."  
  
Seth moves around miserably in the bed, trying to find a comfortable position.  
  
"You okay?" Ryan asks, "What happened with that test they did?"  
  
"I don't know," Seth answers, "Nobody tells me anything until they tell mom and dad." He wriggles around a little more before complaining, "My stomach hurts. I can't get comfortable."  
  
Ryan doesn't know how to help. "Do you want me to go get somebody?"  
  
"Nah," Seth declines, "Whatever Witchy Pooh Nurse gave me, it's good, taking the edge off. A few more minutes and I'll be just fine."  
  
Seth is slowing down, his temporary burst of energy giving way to the effects of the mono. But sick or not, he's still Seth and Ryan as always is his captive listening audience.  
  
"Hey Ryan, have I ever told you that I am one hell of a yodeler? Have you ever heard me yodel?"  
  
"Uh...no, and hey Seth? I'm not going to tonight either."  
  
Seth yawns, scratches his nose. "You're supposed to humor the infirmed, not threaten them."  
  
Ryan doesn't respond, continues to toy with the remote. Seth yawns again, settles for lying on his back, and places his forearm over his eyes.  
  
"Seth?" Ryan asks quietly, "Has Sandy ever lied to you?"  
  
Seth peeks out from under his arm. "Lie like how?"  
  
Ryan doesn't answer.  
  
"Well," Seth offers, "Lie as in, 'Honestly Seth all those people in the malls wearing Santa suits are just the elves that are too big to make toys so Santa employs them to work undercover and compile wish lists.' That kind of lie?"  
  
Ryan shakes his head. Seth's layers of weirdness run deep. "Never mind," he tells the sick teen. "Forget I asked."  
  
Seth takes his arm off his face, turns his head towards Ryan, "I don't understand what you're asking me Ryan."  
  
"Forget it," Ryan repeats, "You looked zonked, go to sleep."  
  
"Zonked?" Seth clarifies. "Is that some kind of Chino ghetto slang?"  
  
"Yeah, it means shut up and go to sleep," Ryan tells him.  
  
Seth yawns in succession. His eyelids feel like little bitty barbells. He is powerless to their sliding shut.  
  
"Ryan, no man, my dad never lied to me. He stretches the truth and he clams up to avoid saying something he may regret, but the man does not lie."  
  
Ryan nods.  
  
Seth fades away.  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
Kirsten finishes a piece of chocolate cake. It's not as good as a mimosa, but surprisingly that wasn't an option on the cafeteria's ala cart menu. Sandy is up at the cash register, buying Ryan a cheeseburger. When Ryan first came to live with them, he automatically accepted whatever he was handed. It took Kirsten a month to figure out he didn't like ketchup. When Sandy returns to the table she confirms, "Mustard only, right?"  
  
"Yep," Sandy answers. Sitting down next to his wife he asks, "Do you want anything else to eat?"  
  
She shakes her head no. A cup of coffee is tempting to stay awake, but with Seth apparently getting better, Kirsten's considering getting a decent night's sleep. "God, what time is it?" she asks, "It feels like it should be tomorrow."  
  
"Almost," Sandy glances at his watch. "Eleven fifty."  
  
"This day needs to end," Kirsten states dully.  
  
"Hell yes," Sandy confirms. "We should go check on Seth. He's probably back by now."  
  
Kirsten stands up immediately. She lost track of time. She wanted to be in the room when Seth arrived back from the CAT-scan. She glances over at her husband. His dark, unruly hair reminds her of Seth's.  
  
"Vacation's over," she tells Sandy. "You feed Ryan; I'll mother Seth into various stages of embarrassment."  
  
"I love it when you delegate," Sandy teases, "It's so powerful."  
  
On the way out of the cafeteria, Kirsten sends Sandy back to grab an orange juice.  
  
She doubts that Ryan has had any fruit today.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Seth is out cold, his sore throat causing a light snore.  
  
Ryan flips on the television but quickly gives up. It's a little hard to adjust to basic cable after living with the Cohens.  
  
He reaches for the bag he brought to the hospital and digs around for a comic book of Seth's he remembers packing. For the most part, he can distract himself from the day's events. Think of Dawn...fuck that, play with the remote instead. Carden pops into his head? No problem, reach for Seth's blanket; cover him up a little more.  
  
But as the minutes of silence add up, Ryan can feel the tension mounting. He stands up, paces, goes back to the bag, and digs a little more. Frustrated that he can't find the comic book, Ryan dumps the contents of the bag onto the hospital room floor. Objects scatter, causing Ryan to instantly regret his impulsive decision. He gets on his knees to gather the items, chastising himself for his stupidity. He spots the comic book, picks it up, and then notices a small envelope on the ground. It has his name on the cover, _Ryan_, penned in unfamiliar handwriting. He picks the envelope up, turns it around, studies it, and eases himself to a sitting position on the floor.  
  
Ryan's mind flashes back to the bizarre ride over to the hospital, arriving at the emergency entrance. Seeing Sandy outside waiting for him, distracting him, causing him to momentarily forget the bag inside the car. When he reached for it, Carden was staring at him.  
  
Staring at him almost as if he wanted to tell him something.  
  
Ryan fiddles with envelope a little more, starts to open it, and stops. He stands up, goes over to a garbage can, crumples up the envelope, and throws it away.  
  
Returning to the floor, he collects the remainder of Seth's belongings and ties the bag.  
  
Ryan settles in his chair, flips through the comic book, and looks over at the garbage can. He chews the inside of his cheek.  
  
Fuck it; it's only words written on paper. Words don't mean shit. He'll read the damn note. Carden is a freaking psycho, this will only make him hate the guy more.  
  
Ryan stands up, walks over to the garbage can and pulls the envelope out. He opens it up, begins reading, and is surprised to only see a few sentences and a signature.  
  
_I'm an old friend of your mom's. We should talk. Here are the numbers I can be reached at. Ed Carden_  
  
Ryan folds up the note, shoves it into his pants pocket, and looks over at the sleeping Seth.  
  
His foster brother looks defenseless. Younger. Dependent.  
  
Trey taught Ryan how to smoke pot and get caught stealing cars. Seth is teaching him that friendship is unconditional and binding.  
  
The continued silence of the hospital room has won the battle of wills; Ryan can't stop the thoughts from flooding in one after another.  
  
His dad robbed a store with a gun, for money that Ryan never asked for or wanted.

Dawn abandoned him with strangers, choosing martyrdom and alcohol over parenthood.

Kirsten left him at home, forgot to call, and wandered through a dark parking lot looking for him when no one else knew what to do.

Sandy waited to tell him, apologized, forgave tonight's violence, kept him company on a curb at Juvie, handed him a business card that resulted in a future.

Ed Carden sought him out, backed off when challenged, left him a note, and once upon a time in Fresno, slept with his mom.  
  
Ryan hears the clock above Seth's bed tick. He glances at it.  
  
The worst Thursday of his life is over.  
  
Now the real fun begins.  
  
12:00 a.m.  
  
It's Friday.  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
This concludes _Thursday Afternoon_.


End file.
